Yuri Potter
by Jiyle
Summary: The war is over and Voldemort is dead. Liana and her family are now adjusting to their post-war lives, full of politics, conspiracy, and teenage hormones. But trouble lies ahead at home, dangerously close to the rising sun. Will the family be able to pull through? Sequel to Liana Kuchiki COMPLETE
1. The Beginning

I do not own anything

Wow. Has it really been almost a year since the last (real) chapter of Liana Kuchiki? I can't believe it.

For those of you who are reading my work for the first time: Welcome! I'd advise you to read the original Liana Kuchiki first; you're not guaranteed to understand everything in this fic without it.

Right, then. After over a year of struggling, I've decided that neither of the sequels I had planned were ever going to be finished (this is the one about Liana's life after LK. The one about Yoruichi and Sirius will probably never be published). As for the title, I've never written it down, but I've decided for a while that the name Liana will go by in Japanese will be Yuri (as Yuri means 'Lily' in Japanese, for those of you who're thinking of lesbians).

For the first seven chapters, I will try to update every eight days. After that (assuming I've written enough to split it into eight to begin with), they will be updated every week. Hopefully on a saturday. Don't get your hopes up, though. There's something wrong with my laptop, so I might not be able to convince my sister to let me use hers (which I'm on right now. She doesn't know - she's at church).

Um... what else is there? If you want to beta this fic, you're welcome to ask, and I'd appreciate it if you have any constructive criticism (though I might not be to do much with it unless it's grammar related). I'm currently attempting to edit the original LK, after seeing how much of a piece of hippogriff dung it is, though it's slow going.

I think that's it. Enjoy!

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Liana Potter. Otherwise known as the Girl-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Savior of the Wizarding World, Heiress Apparent to the Kuchiki and Potter Estates, Heiress Presumptive to the Black Estate, and a myriad of other titles.

The name and story of this girl had risen to that of legend in the Wizarding World in the fifteen years and some months since Hallowe'en 1991 and was quickly achieving recognition in the Seireitei – the dwelling of shinigami, or death gods.

Her story was one of adventure, intrigue, murder, war, love, loss, and most recently, family.

Wizards and witches everywhere could tell you the story of her life, though some versions may be sprinkled with untruths or naught but tale and fable. They knew that the Dark Lord Voldemort, or Tom Marvolo Riddle, had attacked Godric's Hollow on October 31st, 1981, where Liana had lived with her mother and father, Lily and James Potter.

The Dark Lord had reigned war against the pro-muggle faction of the British Wizarding World since the 1970's, and had been considered unstoppable, unbeatable. That October night, he had killed first James, then Lily, before finally turning his wand to little baby Liana.

No one knew for sure what had happened. All they knew was that Liana Potter survived, and all that remained of Voldmort was a pile of robes and ashes and a yew wand with a phoenix feather core. After that, Liana vanished, disappearing into the muggle world until her eleventh birthday – July 31st, 1991.

Her Hogwarts years became those of legend – the standard to which mischievous students would from then on try to surpass in terms of danger and adventure. In her first year, she, with help from her two best friends, Ron Weasley – a pureblood wizard with great strategic potential and a love for the wizarding sport, Quidditch – and Hermione Granger – a muggleborn witch who was widely regarded as the smartest witch of her age – defeated Voldemort and Professor Quirinus Quirrel, their Defense Against the Dark Arts (or DADA) teacher, and saved the legendary Philosopher's Stone.

From then on, her school years grew even more dangerous and bizarre than the last, featuring all sorts of challenges, ranging from trolls and pixies to dragons and basilisks.

The time that had most changed her life was probably the summer before her fifth year. As it turned out, Lily and James Potter were not her biological parents but distant cousins of her mother.

Once discovering her pregnancy, Hisana Kuchiki, Liana's birth mother, had feared for her unborn child's life and had taken drastic measures to protect her. She had faked her own death and given her newborn daughter to the Potters, the only people whom she could trust with the life with her precious child, before disappearing into the life of 1980's England.

The Seireitei had known of the so-called Girl-Who-Lived and had even received reports about the infant hero; however, it wasn't until July 1995 when her father, Byakuya Kuchiki, discovered her true lineage and went to the Little Whinging neighborhood where she had grown up to retrieve her with a family friend, Yoruichi Shihoin. It was there that he found his daughter. And the abuse that she had suffered.

The heroine of the Wizarding World had had, to the shock of many, a terrible childhood. She had lived in the cupboard under the stairs from when she was fifteen months old up to nearly age eleven. From a young age, she had been expected to do household chores around the house that her relatives, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, owned. That particular day, she had been beaten unconscious and left alone in her room with overwhelming evidence of past abuse scattered throughout the house.

Since the day her father and mentor had saved her, her world had spun for the second time. The two years afterward passed like none other before. She found the burden of being the Chosen One lifted off of her shoulders by her father and Yoruichi. They took on the war that the adults had created and expected a child to finish, taking all of her responsibilities and hardships for themselves and forcing upon her nothing but a small act to play in the drama they performed.

They did not disappoint. By the end of her sixth year at Hogwarts, two years after Voldemort's rebirth, he suffered his second death.

The whirlwind after it had been dizzying, and she could scarcely remember what had happened. All she knew was that, by the end of the school year, Yoruichi was engaged to her godfather, Sirius Black, and she was engaged to her old rival and arch-enemy, Draco Malfoy.

Two months had passed since Voldemort's demise, and Liana now found herself holed up in her family's library. There were only a few sounds to be heard in the shushing room, one of which being Hermione's lectures on their Charms homework. Draco quietly ignored her, opting instead to work on his Transfiguration essay to her right. Ron didn't even bother to work on his summer homework. Instead, he was trying to fold a piece of parchment into a paper airplane.

"Hermione," Liana said, interrupting the muggleborn's heated speech on the Summoning Charm. "Term just ended two days ago. Why are we doing homework already?"

Draco looked up as the muggleborn huffed. "Weren't you listening? We need to get our homework out of the way as fast as we can. We both need to study culture and etiquette as much as possible this year. Our parents plan on marrying us right after graduation."

She groaned as she remembered that particular conversation. "Great. I was hoping we could just lounge around this year."

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled fondly at her best friend. "Not likely, not with N.E.W.T.s coming up. Besides, Yoruichi and Sirius are planning their wedding for August, remember? Things are going to be extraordinarily busy, you know. Wedding planning isn't easy, especially when both families have so much political clout, and they're planning on _two _weddings just to appease them both!"

"They're planning something similar for us, I think," Draco said dryly. Liana groaned and let her forehead fall on the table with a _thump!_

"That's just bloody brilliant," she muttered.

"_And," _the brunette continued, "don't forget that Lord Kuchiki's taking you two to the Seireitei every month to get used to the environment there." She sighed wistfully at the thought of the visits. "I wish _I _could go… Imagine how much there is to learn!"

"Only you, Hermione." She shook her head at her friend's hunger for knowledge. Of course, that didn't mean that she wasn't excited about it as well. It was natural that she be curious about seeing the world where her parents had come from, and the world that she would one day be a part of. She had gone through this sensation before when she first entered the Wizarding World at age eleven, and none of the excitement was any less than the last time.

"_SIRIUS BLACK, DON'T YOU __**DARE **__LEAVE ME TO DO ALL OF THE WEDDING PLANNING!" _The group of teens jumped when Yoruichi stormed into the library, snarling as she searched for her wayward fiancé. Violet tresses whipped every which way and golden eyes flashed with anger as she stalked through the looming shelves, uncaring of the centuries of knowledge that she passed with every infuriated step.

"If that bloody idiot thinks I'm going to take this lying down, he's got another thing coming," she muttered darkly, scouring the books for the grim animagus. The quartet of teenagers gave each other cautious glances, wordlessly asking one another what to do. Emerald green met shining silver, and an unspoken message passed between them. Slowly, the blond nodded, silently agreeing as the raven haired girl turned back to the storming woman.

"I saw him snooping around the Comm Room, if it helps," Liana offered, hoping to lead the dangerously angry witch out of the library and away from them. The Communication Room – or Comm Room, as Ron had dubbed it – was where they 'skyped' various people in the Seireitei. It was actually the very same room where Liana and her friends had spied on her father the previous summer – the room where they had witnessed her father go head to head with his superior in order to allow her happiness, despite the great personal risk. The barriers that she had sensed around it at the time served to keep the others in the house from being disturbed if anyone got particularly… excited while using it, and made the room an excellent place to hide from those who could sense reiatsu and locate living beings – "living" being a relatively loose term, considering two of the beings in question had never been alive to begin with – with frightening accuracy.

"Thanks." She nodded in gratitude before stalking back into the hallway.

"I feel bad for him," Ron muttered once they were no longer in danger of the Shihoin woman's rage. With his mother being who she was, he knew all too well how frightening angry women could be.

"Anyway," Hermione picked up the book again and started reading aloud, "if you practice enough and put enough power behind the spell, it's possible to summon objects to places on even the other side of the country! This was discovered by – "

Liana groaned and let her head fall onto the table for a second time. _"Sweet Merlin, just kill me now."_

~oOo~

Yoruichi gave an exasperated sigh. "Sirius is a lot of things, but punctual isn't one of them."

"Perhaps we should just leave now and bring him another time," Byakuya said.

"Sounds good to me. I think I'll ask Kisuke to get one of those retractable leashes for him – "

"I'm here! Sorry I'm late!" the Black lord yelped as he scrambled into the room. "I didn't remember we were leaving today until just now…"

"And here I thought you just weren't coming," his fiancée smirked.

"Are you kidding me? I've wanted to go into one of those door-things since my first year!" he exclaimed. He had always wondered what lay on the other side of the mysterious, glowing portal, and now he actually had the chance to see for himself.

"Perhaps you should find a muggle alarm clock, then. I, for one, do not plan on waiting so long for a second time," Byakuya said dryly. "We're late."

"I've never been on time for anything in my life!" he protested. Not even the Hogwarts Express. He had always had to leap aboard at the last second, his trunk shrunken and hastily shoved into a pocket as he ran through King's Cross.

"I'll be sure to drag you out of bed on our wedding day, dear," Yoruichi said sweetly.

"Never mind that. We're late enough as it is." The Kuchiki lord pushed his glowing blade into the air in front of him. "Unlock."

Five butterflies drifted out of the shoji doors. He half-turned and gestured for them to follow, a butterfly fluttering peacefully about his head. "We need to hurry. We have much to do today."

They headed into the bright light, suddenly finding themselves in a dark, disgusting tunnel with purple goop and what looked like animal bones strewn all over the dank looking floor. They didn't have much time to stare at it, however, as he quickly started leading them through the strange tunnel and Yoruichi pushed them along from the rear.

Liana shuddered as what looked like a human skull stared at them, its empty eye sockets glaring into her being as the unhinged jaw gaped in a silent scream from a foot away.

They had been walking for what seemed like hours before her father spoke. "I have arranged for two of the new academy graduates to meet us there. They have very much potential, and I thought that everyone would benefit from it."

Yoruichi snickered. "I've got the camera."

Liana, Draco, and Sirius simply stared at each other and shrugged. Yoruichi's antics got very strange at times. Who knew what she meant?

They stepped out of the inter-dimensional portal and onto a large, circular platform surrounded by marble pillars.

"Welcome back, Kuchiki-taicho," two voices chorused.

Sirius' eyes widened. "No. Bloody. Way!"

* * *

Review!


	2. The Seireitei

I do not own anything

Well, as promised, here's the new chapter. I have no random commentary, other than being really impressed with myself in the fight scene.

I know it's _really _long, but I really couldn't find anywhere else to end it so... yeah.

Enjoy!

* * *

_Sirius' eyes widened. "No. Bloody. Way!"_

The man in front of him grinned, glasses slightly crooked as messy black hair played in the breeze. "Long time no see, Sirius." Sparkling green eyes rolled next to him as a woman whacked his head, her long red mane fluttering as much as it could in its waist-length plait.

"But you – and Lily – bodies – Voldemort – what?" he sputtered.

"You forgot that the Seireitei is in the middle of the Land of the Dead, Sirius," Yoruichi laughed. "Did you ever stop to think that we _might_have a _few_dead loved ones here?"

Liana and Draco stared at the two late Potters, Yoruichi's words floating into their ears with all the speed of a snail stuck in honey. It took a few minutes before their brains understood her statement. Her mouth opened in an 'o' of surprise and meek understanding and his eyebrows rose to his hairline in further confusion. Liana was still staring at her adoptive parents when Draco glanced at her father questioningly.

"The two of you will soon to take up the titles of Lord and Lady Potter," the captain said as a means of explanation. "I thought you would benefit from meeting the family's last lord and lady."

"Or so you say," Yoruichi smirked. "Admit it: you've gotten soft, Byakuya-bo."

"In any case, we're late," he said, dismissive her statement as more of her silly chatter. "We should be leaving soon, lest risk Yamamoto-sotaicho's displeasure." He took his daughter and soon-to-be-son-in-law as Yoruichi grabbed her fiancé. The group soon disappeared in a whirl of shunpo, heading straight for squad one.

Sirius was amazed and a bit freaked out when his surroundings suddenly blurred together in a mesh of color, going by too quickly for him to see much else than white walls and a blue sky with the occasional flash of black robes or green trees. The only things that he could clearly ascertain were Yoruichi, who was laughing at his shock, and the others. Liana had her arms wrapped around her father's waist, a grin stretching across her face as the landscape sped past them. Draco's eyes were wide as he took it in, his already pale skin somehow taking on an even whiter shade.

They soon arrived at a large, important looking building. The Malfoy heir stumbled slightly, and would have fallen, had one of the Potters not reached out to steady him. He, too, felt disoriented as his feet made contact with solid ground again, and was confused when the four shinigami began taking their shoes off.

"What are you waiting for?" Yoruichi asked, somehow managing to point at his own feet while tugging off her own slipper-like feet coverings. "Hurry up! We don't wear shoes inside, idiot."

He nodded dumbly, not really understanding why, but quickly started toeing his off as well.

Liana watched in slight confusion as the mask of indifference that her father wore became more pronounced, becoming more and more obvious the longer they walked. She looked around as the occasional figure clad in a black kimono bowed as he passed, saying, "Welcome back, Kuchiki-taicho." He gave a few of the bowing men a brief nod, and they waited until he was several paces ahead before straightening up again. She gave him a curious glance, wondering just how important the white coat that he adorned was in the eyes of the average shinigami. It had to be a significant amount of importance, she mused, if they were willing to go through such pomp and circumstance when he did nothing more than walk by.

They soon approached two large, white doors that loomed above them, an aura of strength and awe rolling off of it in intimidating waves. In the center of the gigantic entryway was the outline of a black diamond with triangles on the inside of each corner and the Japanese character for 1 in the middle.

As if sensing their approach, the doors opened with a loud, booming sound, revealing a bright light, though one slightly different from the one that had greeted them when the senkaimon had opened. As it faded, he walked briskly into the room, bowing his head slightly to the elderly man on the other side of the large hall.

"My apologies for our tardiness, Yamamoto-sotaicho. Unfortunately, Black-san had apparently forgotten our trip, and we were forced to wait for him," he said, a hint of disapproval coloring his voice before he swiftly moved to his place in the ensemble. Yoruichi rolled her eyes at him, stepping forward with a large grin on her face.

"My, my, I can't remember the last time I was in this room! It's great to see everyone again!" she said cheerfully, also nodding to the old man. There were a few chuckles and murmurs of agreement as some of the group agreed with her statement.

"It's an honor for you to be back, Yoruichi-sama," the short woman on the end of the left row said eagerly.

"Thanks, Soifon!" She turned around. "Well? What are you lumps waiting for? Get inside so we can close the door."

The three entered, looking around curiously. The room they were in was a large one, with a high ceiling and red wooden windows that had no glass panes inside them. Four rows of people were lined up in front of them, all of them looking vaguely familiar.

"My daughter, Liana," her father said when the unshaven man to his right gave him a sly glance, "as I'm sure you all remember from last winter – " So that was where she seen them before… " – her fiancé, Malfoy Draco, her adoptive parents, Potter James and Potter Lily of the juubantai, and Yoruichi's fiancé, Black Sirius."

Yoruichi spoke next, a smile still gracing her features as she craned her neck back to look at them. "Guys, these are the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13. Try not to get on their nerves. They might kill you if you annoy them." Strangely enough, this was said in a very chipper tone.

"Ah, Liana-chan," the brown haired man next to her father smiled. His name was either Shunsui or Kyoraku… or both. "It seems you've gotten even lovelier than you were last Christmas!"

The girl behind him whacked him with a large, thick book, scolding him. "Remember she's Kuchiki-taicho's daughter, taicho, and that she's engaged!"

"Mah, I say you should have as much fun as possible before getting tied down." He waved it off, winking. "Ne, Yoruichi-chan?"

She smirked. "Of course, Kyoraku-taicho! Though, I don't think 'tied down' will be very accurate with Sirius. I'm very lucky."

"Lucky? To be marrying Padfoot?" James said incredulously. "I dunno, Yoruichi, I sorta pity you."

"Hey!" the man in question protested. "I'm not that bad!"

"Yes, you are," she said mischievously. "But I'm worse. If you wanna pity someone, Jaimsie, pity my parents."

"I'll agree with that," Lily smiled. "The two of you being as energetic as you are."

"Enough of this idle chatter," Yamamoto ordered from the front of the room. Attention immediately centered around him as they all fell silent. Liana shifted slightly. Even with her limited knowledge of the Japanese language, his formal way of speaking (not unsimilar to Yoruichi's, though far more intimidating) somehow gave off the feeling of oppression. "Kuchiki-taicho, Shihoin Yoruichi, tell us, the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13, what your plans are for the foreseeable future."

"Yes, sir." All her playfulness was suddenly wiped away as she spoke. "My and Black Sirius' wedding is to be on August 10th, after which we will move to a home in Karakura Town." They had already made the arrangements – actually, they had even picked out and visited the place! "In a few years, I will come back to the Seireitei and re-succeed my father as the head of my family. Soifon-taicho will relinquish the ranks of nibantai taicho and Onmitsukido commander to me within a year of that time."

"I have made arrangements with Malfoy Draco's mother and father in order to educate him and my daughter on the cultures of both Japan and the Wizarding World," Byakuya said once it became apparent that she was done. "If all works well, they should finish by the time they graduate from Hogwarts School, approximately fourteen months from now. During the school year, I will continue to make negotiations with the goblins of Gringotts Bank and, to an extent, Lord and Lady Malfoy in order to make it possible to control the Potter, and eventually, Malfoy accounts from the Seireitei. We have yet to decide on a date for the wedding, but preparations have already begun. If possible, Liana will be joining the Gotei 13 somewhere in the next ten years. Malfoy-san may as well if he likes, but until the expiration of his physical body, he would only be a representative, similar to Kurosaki Ichigo, and will have no official squad. As they have duties in both the World of the Living and the Seireitei, they will likely be staying in each world for six months at a time, but will be able to keep contact with both worlds at any given time."

"Both of your plans are well thought out, Kuchiki-taicho and Shihoin-hime," Yamamoto said, his voice reminiscent of an old, wooden floor creaking under heavy weight, "but I fail to understand why you have brought two unseated officers who have barely graduated into a meeting concerning only the most powerful of our ranks."

"The Potters are the last Lord and Lady Potter Britain has known," he said promptly, as if expecting the question. "As well as being Liana's adoptive parents, who did their best to raise her while I could not, they are also close friends of Black Sirius. I thought it would help Liana and Malfoy-san be able to fully understand how to manage the Potter accounts, as well as make it easier for Black-san to integrate comfortably into our world." He paused slightly. "I apologize if you did not approve, Yamamoto-sotaicho, but it seemed this would help everything run smoother in the long run."

He grunted as Kyoraku chuckled quietly. "Your reasoning is sound, Kuchiki-taicho."

"Well if that's all done, can we go now?" Zaraki yawned. "'M bored as hell here."

"Yes," Kurotsutchi agreed exuberantly. "And I have an important experiment I need to get back to. If I don't get started with the next stage within the next half hour, all my work will have gone to waste!"

"Very well. We will re-convene at a later time in order to discuss other matters. Dismissed!"

Liana watched as the stiff rows of officers suddenly came to life, stretching and breaking out of their ranks as they made towards the door. A few of them formed small groups as they walked, murmuring and laughing quietly as they left.

"Hitsugaya-taicho." The Kuchiki lord approached the young boy as he walked towards the door, flanked on one side by Matsumoto and the other by Hinamori. "I would like the company of your officers to stay for the rest of the day. I'm sure Black-san and my daughter would benefit from their presences."

He shrugged. "Do whatever you like, Kuchiki-taicho. They don't have any duties they need to take care of until next week. I don't really care what they do, as long as they don't get into trouble." He gave James a glare that was highly unusual for one of his youth, and Liana winced, despite the fact that she wasn't the recipient. James laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head as Lily rolled her eyes again, silently bemoaning her husband's natural mischievousness.

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-taicho." He turned and left the room, prompting the wizards and witches to follow him.

"Where are we going, Father?" Liana asked.

"The main Kuchiki Estate," he said. "I have been coordinating family matters over long distances for two years. Of course, there are some matters that need to be settled personally."

"Pardon me, Kuchiki-taicho," Lily said, "but what do James and I have to do with this? Sir, we aren't even members of the rokubantai…"

"Even if the two of you are deceased in the eyes of the Wizarding World, the fact remains you are the Lord and Lady of a high standing family," he explained, never once breaking his stride. "Even as the head of the Kuchiki family, I have no right to keep you from your heir. Among other things, I had thought the three of you would like to get to know each other."

"Thank you, Father." She gave faint smile. James and Lily Potter were two people whom she had wanted to know since she first understood the concept of parents, and that the Dursleys certainly weren't hers. That want had never faded, in spite of discovering her actual family. The rest of the time was spent in silence as they neared Kuchiki Manor.

"Welcome back, Byakuya-sama." A middle-aged woman in a simple lavender kimono bowed as they entered the large, ornate wooden gates. Liana stared in wonder at the large garden that they found themselves in. She had seen the garden that they had in England, but the Japanese style was so much more… peaceful. She held back the urge to wander through it, especially when she saw what looked like a golden fish of some kind leap out of a small stream.

He nodded idly at her greeting. "Have the rooms I requested been prepared yet?" he questioned. "Also, where is my sister? Surely she would have returned by now?"

"The rooms are almost ready, Byakuya-sama. We only need to finish unpacking Liana-sama and Malfoy-sama's things. Rukia-sama is arguing with Kurosaki-dono in the inner garden," she said, smiling slightly.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" He raised an eyebrow. "What is he doing here?"

"Rukia-sama has been trying to teach Kurosaki-dono how to control him to control his reiatsu for a few months now." A glimmer of amusement appeared in her eyes. "It appears she hasn't been successful yet, my lord."

Yoruichi laughed. "With how much power that kid has, it'll probably take a lot longer than just a few months."

"Kurosaki Ichigo? The orange-haired ryoka who ended the Winter War?" Lily asked curiously. "_That _Kurosaki Ichigo?" Liana blinked. Whoever they were talking about, it seemed that he had the same level of fame that she had in Britain. She felt sorry for him.

"Mmhmm." She nodded before explaining for the benefit of the two teenagers and Sirius. "Ichigo-kun is the son of an old friend of mine – Kurosaki Isshin. He's insanely powerful and is probably one of the main reasons the Soul Society won our own war, just a few years before I went to Hogwarts myself. It just so happens he's very close to Rukia-chan, Liana's aunt."

"Idiot! I've told you over and over again – concentrate, you idiot!" A deep but feminine voice rang through the air. Liana startled, twisting her head in an effort to try to locate the speaker.

"How can I concentrate with you yelling in my ear?!" a man shouted back. Draco caught her eye and frowned, shrugging. Yoruichi just chuckled.

"I wouldn't have to yell if you'd just do it!"

"Then stop screaming at me!"

"Ugh! Insufferable cretin!"

"Annoying hag!"

"Unbearable imbecile!"

"Idiotic midget!"

"Did I mention the two of them fight like an old married couple?" she added idly.

"They sorta sound like you and Lily, Prongs," Sirius commented.

"Nah. I was_way_more suave than that," he grinned. Lily rolled her eyes and whacked him. "Ow!"

"… Wait, I thought you said only the servants were here," they heard the man mutter.

"I thought there were…"

Yoruichi snickered, taking a deep breath before shouting, "OI! ICHIGO! RUKIA! DID YOU TWO GET TOGETHER YET?"

"WHAT!" James and Sirius started laughing as Byakuya sighed. They heard two pairs of footsteps running towards them as two people came into view.

Rukia mentally slapped herself for not realizing they would be here, blushing furiously. She gave a hasty bow as a teen slowed behind her. "Nii-sama, Yoruichi-dono, Liana-san. Welcome back."

The orange haired teen next two her blinked. "Byakuya, Yoruichi. Haven't seen you two in a while."

Rukia huffed, turning to kick him in the shins. "Idiot! You really should start showing Nii-sama the proper respect!"

"Ow! That hurt, Midget!"

"It's supposed to, Imbecile!"

"Enough." He had forgotten how tiring it was to deal with these two arguing. "Your bickering is doing nothing but causing unnecessary noise."

"Hai, Nii-sama."

"Sorry, Byakuya."

"What's going on?" Draco muttered.

"No idea," Liana whispered back.

The teen stared at them curiously. "So, who are you people?"

"Ah, this is Liana," Yoruichi pointed at her. "She's Byakuya's daughter, the one I'm sure Kisuke and Rukia told you about. That's Malfoy Draco, her fiancé and classmate. This is Black Sirius, _my_fiancé, and these are Potter James and Potter Lily, new recruits in the juubantai and Liana's adoptive parents, who also happen to be old school friends of me and Sirius."

"What…?" He stared blankly as it processed. "So, she – " He pointed at Liana " – is Byakuya's long-lost wizard daughter. He – " He pointed at Draco " – is her fiancé. He – " He pointed at Sirius " – is _your_fiancé, which I never expected. And they – " He pointed at Lily and James " – are her – " He pointed at Liana " – adoptive parents as well as some friends of yours and your fiancé _and_new recruits in Toshiro's squad?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Every time I come back, Seireitei keeps getting crazier and crazier."

"That just about sums it up," she chirped. "How's Isshin been?"

"Eh. Insane as ever," he shrugged. "Where have you guys been for the past couple of years? You just disappeared, and Rukia didn't really tell me much." He stared at them in open curiosity, and Liana noticed his scowl soften slightly in his distraction.

"England. Or Scotland. Somewhere in the United Kingdom, anyway," she mused. "Where _is_Hogwarts?"

"Southern Scotland," Lily supplied. "With lots and lots of Muggle Repelling wards."

He stared at them oddly. "So… the reason you guys disappeared all of a sudden is because… you went to go get a long-lost daughter on the other side of the world, in the World of the Living, and stay there for two years?" His brow furrowed. "Wouldn't it be easy to just pick her up and come back? Where do those two come in?" He looked at Sirius and Draco.

"I told you, classmate." She rolled her eyes. "Liana and Draco go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The British Wizarding World was recently in a war against a traitor named Riddle Tom Marvolo, or Voldemort, as he called himself." She smiled somewhat bitterly. "Liana was always considered an important figure in the war effort, so we had to stay for a while. It just ended a month ago, actually." And thank goodness for that. "Sirius and I got engaged in the party they threw in the aftermath, and Liana and Draco did… what? Ten minutes later?"

"So it was a spur of the moment thing?" Ichigo asked, scratching his head.

"Nah. _We_were spur of the moment." She gestured to herself and her fiancé. "_Their _parents have been planning it for a while now."

"… How nice," he muttered, sneaking a glance at Byakuya.

Liana jumped suddenly as a black garbed man who looked like a ninja appeared in a crouched position.

"Hime-sama," he bowed his head, "Daiki-sama and Izumi-sama request the immediate presence of hime-sama and hime-sama's fiancé to be fitted for the wedding ceremony. "

"Huh? Oh, fine. C'mon, Sirius," she sighed and grabbed his arm. "I guess we'll see you guys later, then. Later!"

"Hey, wai-!" His protest was cut off as they both disappeared in shunpo.

"Byakuya-sama." A small, meek girl appeared at his side, bowing like the strange man had been. "We have prepared the quarters you requested, my lord."

"Show them to their rooms, then." He nodded to his guests and daughter.

"What should I do, Nii-sama?" Rukia asked.

"Make sure Kurosaki Ichigo does not destroy the manor."

"Hai, Nii-sama." The young maid motioned for the four wizards and witches to follow her as Byakuya left in the other direction, presumably for tea.

Liana noticed that her things had managed to make it there before her. It was a large room for such a traditional building, she thought. The far left wall was mostly dominated by a bookshelf filled with all sorts of books – magical, muggle, and spiritual alike. A large cupboard/wardrobe combo stood in the right corner closest the door, besides which was a low table, presumably a desk of some sort, with a picture of Hogwarts hanging above it. On the other side of the desk was a door to an en-suite bathroom. A white, soft-looking mat lay in the middle of the room, probably to serve as her bed. Her trunk sat tucked snugly in what space the bookshelf didn't take up on the left wall. Her beloved Firebolt rested on two hooks on the wall above the trunk as Hedwig dozed on a perch in front of it. The wall opposite the doorway turned out to be another door, leading into another large, well-kept garden of an obvious Japanese style, the kinds of simple grandeur what Privet Drive could only dream of.

"This room is only temporary, Liana-sama," a servant said from behind her. "After the wedding, everything in here and Malfoy-sama's room will be moved into a larger room."

"Ok." Her mind was fuzzy in awe and excitement as she wandered through her new living space. She started looking through the books, paying only half attention.

"This is the room Sojun-sama had before his marriage with Izumi-sama." She turned as the elderly woman knelt on the floor, opening a hidden trap door next to the bed. "Byakuya-sama doesn't know of this tunnel's existence. It leads to Shihoin Yoruichi-sama's bedroom, which she will be keeping when she marries Black-sama. There are actually many tunnels throughout Kuchiki Manor that Byakuya-sama does not know of, but most of those belong to the Seireitei Women's Association."

"Thank you." She made to inspect the door, but the maid stopped her.

"Byakuya-sama said there are still very many things that need to be done today. It would not be best to keep him waiting. There will be more than enough time to explore the tunnel later on, Liana-sama."

"Uh… coming." She followed the servant in slight confusion, promising to herself to look at the room a bit more carefully later on. After getting Draco's attention, the middle aged woman led them to a room on the other side of the building.

"Liana, Malfoy-san, follow me. There are still preparations to be made." He said once they arrived, leading them into another room where a few women were waiting with needles, string, fabrics, and all kinds of decorations.

"What's going on?" Liana asked blankly.

"The Shihoins' wedding is to be in about a few months," Draco said, understanding due to his pureblood upbringing. "We need to get fitted for clothes to wear to the wedding, and this is our only chance until then. I think Mother and Aunt Andromeda – " He said the latter somewhat hesitantly " – are planning to do the same when we get back."

"We will have similar garbs made for your friends in the Wizarding World," her father said, gesturing them over, "but seeing as this is one of the few glimpses that the Seireitei will be able to get of you two until the official wedding next year, it would be more fitting for you to be wearing something more personalized."

"I've never worn an actual kimono," Liana muttered, watching them curiously as the horde of women crowded around her, pulling her arms up in a T-formation and draping different fabrics all over her body.

"Neither have I," Draco nodded as they treated him to the same. "But I guess we'll just have to manage."

Her father gave a small smirk before turning his attention to a stack of paperwork that was sitting on a low table in front of him.

Liana was trying very hard to stay still as she was covered in layers of light silks and rich satins. The seamstresses moved to and from a line of folded fabrics, all separated by quality and design, putting each one on some part of her and quietly squabbling over which one to use. Eventually, they began putting individual bolts around her, pinning them up to match span of her arms and width of her shoulders. One of them hunted around the remaining fabrics, holding the last length of cloth that they had fastened around her, and trying to find another that had a matching design while the others held up flowers and hair accessories up to her long, raven locks.

One of the women who had been collaborating on Draco's clothing spoke quietly to her father. He nodded to her and said something back, standing up and walking over to the Malfoy heir. The blond stood stiffly as his future father-in-law eyed him up and down before nodding again. The seamstresses exploded into excited whispers as they each bowed to him and started removing the fabrics, careful not to disturb the glittering pins. Liana watched jealously as her fiancé moved to the side of the room, leaning against one of the support beams as her seamstresses continued comparing hair decorations.

It ended up taking several hours before the two of them were allowed to leave. Her father took them to a building with a large Japanese 6 on it, similar to what she had seen just earlier that day.

"Welcome back, Kuchiki-taicho!" The shinigami – possibly a guard – bowed as a scruffy, black haired boy with a strange mark on his upper right forehead came up.

"Abarai-fukutaicho is in the office, sir. The rokubantai has been functioning well while you were in the World of the Living," he said, giving off a slightly childish air.

He nodded. "And the gobantai?"

"Hinamori-fukutaicho hasn't asked us for any help, so we're assuming they're fine."

"I see."

"Kyouraku-taicho and Ukitake-taicho are with Abarai-fukutaicho. They came by earlier today, saying they wanted to see a sparring match." The glint in his eyes suggested he wanted to see one as well, but the boy didn't dare say it.

His captain frowned imperceptibly. "It seems that I will not be able to finish the paperwork as I had planned," he muttered. "Very well. However, I will not waste time sparring before I have ascertained that everything is in order. I will be there shortly."

"Hai, Kuchiki-taicho." He bowed and scurried off, leaving a group of dawdling shinigami nearby to whisper excitedly. Liana and Draco exchanged glances. Whatever this was, it sounded interesting.

After a quick sweep through the building, they found themselves in a large courtyard outside.

"I know you probably haven't been training much, taicho, but I'm still gonna give it my all!" the redheaded man grinned. Liana wondered why he kept on popping up. He seemed to have changed his hairstyle since Christmas. Instead of gravity defying spikes, as they had been, his crimson locks had grown and gotten thicker and more voluminous, expertly held back and resembling a lion's mane. Now that she thought about it, a good number of her father's colleagues had changed their appearance in some way or another.

"Are you suggesting that you believe my skills to be lacking, Abarai?" her father questioned. "I do not think that it is logical for a _fukutaicho_to be able to defeat his _taicho _in combat. It is presumptuous and foolish to believe so."

"Heh… maybe I need to be promoted, then," he grinned cheekily. The faint tittering of the squadsmen became louder as a jumble of muttered voices expressed their thoughts on the comment.

"We are not in need of yet _another _captain who destroys his own barracks. Zaraki-taicho does that enough, Renji." The sliding of metal was heard as the muttering became a cacophony of whoops and cheers. The captain drew his blade, moving with a deliberate slowness that gave the normally rough action a sense of grace. He held it loosely in his right hand, slightly diagonal to protect his torso, and shifted his feet ever so slightly so that his lieutenant was facing his side, rather than his front. He had given his consent to the spar.

His subordinate's movements were far less refined, but no less deliberate. The slight screeching of metal against wood was louder, higher, as he dragged it out of its sheath. Two tan, calloused hands grabbed the red hilt and secured it in front of its wielder. His feet slid slightly against the ground, stopping when they were a shoulder length's apart. Brown eyes gleamed in excitement as he faced his opponent, and he snorted at the rebuke.

"You're never gonna let me forget about that, are you?" The two blades clashed, sending a shower of sparks everywhere. Liana and Draco watched, transfixed, as the squad members around them exploded in noise.

"Whatever," he grunted at the lack of response, typical of his normally silent captain. "It's sorta weird, don't ya think? The last time we fought unreleased, I thought you were a traitor."

"The head of the Kuchiki Clan can hardly turn traitor to the Soul Society." He blocked a downward strike. "You know very well that I will do everything in my power to fulfill my duty to my family, _fukutaicho_." His blade sang a single, piercing note as he made a powerful swing. Steel met steel in a screech and shower of sparks as the other sword was brought up in an attempt to block, its wielder settling his weight as firmly as he could in the scant half-second.

"Euargh!" The redheaded was thrown back by the force behind the clash between their blades. Shouts and screams erupted around them as the lieutenant made a throwing motion, never letting go of the hilt and letting his reiatsu rise in fiery red waves. "Hoeru, Zabimaru!"

His captain side-stepped the strange, extendable saw before holding his own zanpakuto in front of him. Waves of energy the same color as the amaranth flowers Liana had seen in the garden started flowing off of him, wisps disappearing from sight and giving her a sense of protection and security. "Chire, Senbonzakura." The redheaded man had to roll out of the way as the razor sharp petals rushed forward, bright in their strength and speeding past where he had just been standing. With a yell, he jumped onto the offensive again.

"Yareh, yareh. Bit odd of him to release, isn't it?" Kyouraki asked, watching as the two shikais clashed again and again, sparks flying as the roar of the squad members drowned out any conversation they may have been having in the midst of their battle. "Usually, he waits a bit longer."

"He hasn't been back in a while, Shunsui," Ukitake pointed out. "Knowing Kuchiki-taicho, he doesn't want to take any risks." The raven haired man didn't seem to be doing anything, though. To the untrained eye, he was merely watching his lieutenant launch attack after attack. The steel petals swirled and floated about, seemingly of their own accord, and rushed to shield him from any strikes that may have hit.

"Looks like we'll be seeing bankais soon," the brunet man smiled mysteriously. He tipped his head forward, allowing his hat to cover his eyes and cast his face in shadows, further emphasizing his knowledge of the strange word and its meanings.

"What do you mean?" Liana asked. She had never heard of a 'bankai', but by the sounds of it, it seemed like he was talking about some kind of power that they had yet to use.

"Huh? Oh right, you don't know." He grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Well, there are three stages to a zanpakuto. There's unreleased, or sealed, which is just a normal katana, Shikai – first release – which is what they're doing now, and Bankai – second release – which is the strongest stage a zanpakuto can safely reach."

"So they go full power when they do this bankai thing?" Oh boy… She was fairly certain she had never even seen a _fraction_of her father's true strength, and what she had seen was already a dizzying amount of power.

"Not quite." Rukia shook her head from behind her captain. "After bankai, Renji doesn't really have many more options to choose from, but Nii-sama has been training to become a shinigami for his entire life, and has far more techniques to use than he does. For Nii-sama to use all of the power he has, he has to use some of his own blood as well as abandon all defense to kill his opponent."

"Oh wow…" That was a lot of determination.

"So does everyone have this bankai?" Draco asked, watching the thousand-and-one blades clash over and over.

"No. At any given time, the most people to have obtained bankai would be around twenty," Ukitake explained patiently. "It takes over ten years of conventional training to develop a bankai, and then several more years to learn how to control it. That's only if one has enough potential in the first place. Abarai-kun is one of the few non-captain shinigami to have it."

"Dear Merlin…"

Renji gritted his teeth as his attack was blocked for the umpteenth time. "Kuso," he cursed. He paused briefly to wipe the blood from his eyes. His captain's gray orbs sharpened at the movement and he shot his hand out, his lavender hilt pointed directly at the redheaded man. Amber orbs widened as he was suddenly surrounded by an endless mass of racing pink blades. "Dammit! Bankai!"

The petals were blasted away as a large, skeletal snake emerged from a cloud of purplish-gray smoke. The monstrous skeleton coiled around him, a red mane ruffling in the wind and a yellow tint on the bones, hinting as to its supposed age. She shuddered as it roared with a strange hissing quality, seeming to be something between a hissing snake and a screaming chimpanzee. "Hihio Zabimaru!"

"Merlin's bloody left toe!" Liana exclaimed, wide-eyed. "That thing's as big as – no, _bigger _than the basilisk I killed in second year!" Flashbacks of a dark, wet chamber in which all was against her save a hat and a sword had her shuddering again. She hadn't even had her wand. Riddle had stolen it from her.

"A basilisk?" Draco gaped. "You get into the weirdest situations, Liana." At least he finally knew what the monster in the Chamber was, assuming he had guessed correctly.

"I know." She continued staring, transfixed and unable to tear her gaze away from the colossal creature.

Byakuya temporarily ignored his daughter's language. It _was_her first time seeing a bankai, after all. He could always reprimand her later, anyway. Senbonzakura's thousand blades joined together again as he, once again, held it in front of him. It was the complete opposite of his shikai, however. He was holding the blade so it was facing down, not up – in a position that would have had his grandfather tsking at him, had he not known the significance of the stance. As loath as he was to admit it, after all of that off-time, he didn't think that he could handle his lieutenant's bankai with just his shikai.

"Bankai." The ground in front of him rippled like water as his zanpakuto sank into it. Behind him rose two rows of larger-than-life katana blades, and he caught his lieutenant's eye. He seemed to be steeling himself, gripping the boney edge of his weapon's tail even tighter as the furry red mantle draped across his shoulders, much like a winter cloak. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The red haired man swung the tail over his head, throwing his weapon at the his captain with as much strength as he could muster. He had to get a hit before the petals finished scattering. He had watched his captain fight enough times to know that. If he didn't, he was screwed. "Hikotsu Taiho!"

Liana was confused when her father didn't react, simply staring straight at the other man. She was even more puzzled when some of the petals, once again, rushed in front of him without any visible command, blocking the red beam.

"Damn," Renji muttered before the snake lunged again, mouth wide-open as if it was trying to eat him.

"Haven't we gone over this before?" his captain asked. Some of the petals joined to form the original blade as he held the skull's open maws away from him, literally at arm's length. "How do you expect to defeat to nimble assault of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi with your slow bankai?" Spending one's childhood training with the commander of the Onmitsukido did not allow one to walk away without appreciation of speed and flexibility.

"All I can do is try my best," he shouted over the noise and distance. Determination gleamed in his eyes as he pushed his bankai to go faster, to be stronger, so that he might not be the monkey who tried to catch the moon any longer. "Even if I can't do it now, I'll keep trying until I get stronger!"

"Your ambition is admirable, Abarai-fukutaicho," he noted. "However, you allow yourself to become far too distracted."

He disappeared into shunpo as Renji froze. The cool texture of a blade could be felt pushing into the back of his neck, and he could clearly feel his captain's spiritual pressure just behind him.

Everything was silent before the squad members burst into applause, the shouts and screams more deafening than ever. Liana could only watch as her father removed his sword from his subordinate's neck, sheathing it. No sooner had he done that, his men started crowding around them.

"That was incredible, Kuchiki-taicho!"

"It's like you were never away at all, sir!"

"So amazing!"

He ignored his men's blathering in favor of returning to his daughter. He frowned as he realized the time. "It seems that I won't be able to get any work done today at all," he muttered.

"Father, that was brilliant!" Liana grinned, having snapped out of her trance. "I never knew you could do stuff like that with your zanpakuto."

"Yoruichi and I had to keep many of our abilities hidden in England. It would have been disastrous if Riddle discovered some of our more… destructive capabilities." He glanced at her. "You realize, Liana, that _you_will eventually be taking my place as head of the Kuchiki Clan and rokubantai taicho? You will one day be expected to learn bankai."

"Between magic, parseltongue, and all of this, I say you're going to be nigh unstoppable," Draco commented, seemingly not bothered his fiancée was going to be more powerful than him.

"I'm having trouble imagining it all," she said faintly.

To the shock of his men, her father looked slightly amused at this. He led them back to Kuchiki Manor, where they found the Potters conversing with the two shinigami (or substitute shinigami, as the case may be).

"Rukia," he said as they approached. "Do you have the time to help Liana and Malfoy-san with their studies?"

"Of course, Nii-sama," she bowed. Ichigo snorted.

"Why not let them spend time with the Potters instead? They can always study once they're back in the… uh… Wizarding World."

He paused, taking some of what the substitute said into consideration for possibly the first time "… Very well, so long as Mr. Potter doesn't live up to his reputation and bring them to the juichibantai or junibantai." The last thing he wanted was for the two least sane of the captains to get their hands on his daughter.

"Don't worry, Kuchiki-taicho. James and I still need to learn the layout of the Seireitei as well, so I think we'll just go exploring," Lily assured, discreetly stepping on her husband's toes as he yelped in pain.

"Oh! Hold on, let me get something first!" Liana displayed her incredible ability to hash together her strength as she dashed out of the room, running to the large room she had been shown just earlier that day.

"Wonder what's up with her," Ichigo muttered before standing to leave. "I should probably get back home before Yuzu starts worrying. Later!"

Liana came back a few moments later, holding a piece of parchment in one hand and her wand in the other. "I just remembered Yoruichi gave this to me for my birthday," she grinned.

"What is it?" Draco asked curiously.

Her grin grew wider, threatening to split her face in half. "A spin-off of the Marauders Map. I think it's supposed to be of the Seireitei."

"I had forgotten about that," Byakuya murmured.

Rukia blinked. "Ano… would someone please tell me what's so important about a random piece of paper?"

"Watch." Liana put her wand onto the parchment, whispering, "Norberta."

Rukia's eyes widened as ink started appearing on the parchment, as if drawn by an invisible hand. Folds of more parchment attached themselves to it, labeled as various things – namely places. Sets of footsteps appeared on the map, followed by a name and title on a ribbon that trailed after it.

"We made the Marauder's Map back in our Hogwarts days to help with pranks," James reminisced. "It was probably the best piece of magic we ever did! I can't believe Yoruichi managed to replicate it…"

"From what she said, it wasn't particularly hard," their host said calmly. "She was wandering through the Potter vault to look for inspiration, and Lupin-san had apparently kept a track of all of the Marauder's movements in Hogwarts."

"Wait, what?" Liana looked up from where she had been watching _Yamada Hanataro, yonbantai-nanaseki _scuttle around the map, running from several others who all had _juichibantai_attached to their names. "I didn't know that!"

"She couldn't decide what to get you." The slight inflection in his voice gave away his past exasperation. "Actually, she was the one who asked if your will had ever been read, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

"I… feel clueless now," Liana admitted as James chuckled.

"This is the reason I have you study so much," her father said dryly. "You need to learn how to manage the Potter accounts by your twentieth birthday, and you cannot manage them if you do not learn."

James shuddered in remembrance of the work his parents had left for him after their double murder. "Merlin, I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore."

Liana paled at the implication. "Bloody hell."

"Language," Byakuya reprimanded.

"Hey, if you think that's bad, imagine having to go through the Potter, Malfoy, _and_Kuchiki accounts all at once!" her fiancé teased.

"I'm gonna die," she moaned. He snickered, deciding not to mention that, as a Dowager Malfoy, she would not necessarily need to deal with the Malfoy Estates.

Her father watched them joke and tease each other for a few moments before making to leave.

"If anything happens, flee," Byakuya instructed, looking at the two younger of the four wizards and witches. He turned to leave. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, if either of them are harmed, I will hold you responsible."

The couple exchanged nervous glances. Rumors of his protectiveness of his lieutenant ranking sister freely circled the ranks, even managing to reach the Academy (albeit extremely exaggerated versions). They could only imagine how he was about his only child. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Review!


	3. Trouble in Paradise

I do not own anything

So... I'm guessing not many people like this story? A bit disappointing, but I can't say I wasn't expecting it.

I'll keep going with it anyway. I can't just leave the file to sit there and collect dust.

* * *

"_James and I still need to learn the layout of the Seireitei as well, so I think we'll just go exploring."_

"_Mr. and Mrs. Potter, if either of them are harmed, I will hold you responsible." _

_The couple exchanged nervous glances. Rumors of his protectiveness of his lieutenant ranking sister freely circled the ranks, even managing to reach the Academy (albeit extremely exaggerated versions). They could only imagine how he was about his only child. "Yes, sir." _

~oOo~

Contrary to the Byakuya's worries, their exploration went very smoothly, due in part to the fact that they ran like Hell's hounds were on their heels every time someone labeled with one of the more enthisastic squads appeared on the Map.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the Seireitei, exploring the place and trying not to annoy any of the senior officers (James and Lily were obviously new, and Liana and Draco's identities weren't known by anyone but them, the captains, and the lieutenants. Naturally, it would be bad if they got on anybody's nerves).

Liana had been thoroughly enjoying her time in the Seireitei, and eagerly stated so at dinner. It was too bad that all good things must come to an end.

She had been having a nice dream about brooms and treacle tart – "had been" being the key words. She stirred and opened her eyes to see her father, who had been urgently calling her name for the past few minutes.

"Mmmm… wuzz goin' on?" she mumbled, yawning.

"Get up, Liana," he said, pulling her out of the futon and onto her feet. "We need to leave." He waved his hand, shrinking her trunk and firebolt before summoning them into a small pouch that he promptly hung around her neck. He handed her the holly and phoenix feather wand that had been lying next to her. "The Seireitei is being invaded. Malfoy-san and Rukia are already waiting, and the servants have been instructed to evacuate to the Kuchiki properties in the World of the Living."

"Invaded?" Drowsiness flew from her mind at the word as her eyes widened in alarm.

He scowled. "The English Prime Minister and Minister Scrimgeour have been boasting to the other countries that they had beings of the Afterlife in their country, with significant evidence. The Chinese are currently in a state of socialism, and have always believed that China is the center of the world. They are trying to convert the Soul Society to Chinese culture."

"But they can't do that!" she protested. He quickly hushed her before pulling her out of the room and through the winding halls of Kuchiki Manor.

"We have already taken measures to keep it from getting that far. Any entry into Rukongai has been blocked – magic, muggle, or otherwise. They can leave as they wish, but no more of them will be able to enter, and those who already have will find themselves confined to a small space. The nobles and shinigami have evacuated to safe houses in the World of the Living. The only ones left here are us, Yoruichi, and your godfather." He started rushing through the garden, speaking fast as Liana absorbed the information to think about later. "Yoruichi and I must conduct a ritual that can only be used by the heads of the Four Great Noble Families. The others have already left, but fortunately, only two heads are needed. It was designed to protect the Seireitei against outside interference, human or spiritual, and will halt all efforts made to penetrate it any further. This will only take a few minutes, but you need to be on your guard."

"Yes, Father," she nodded, unable to think of even trying to disobey in such disarray. He grabbed her shoulder and shunpoed, landing on a large, barren cliff. Yoruichi was tapping her foot impatiently.

"The pouch that I gave you is a portkey. It will take you to a safe house that has been prepared specifically for this situation. This is too far from a senkaimon so we all have one. The activation word is retreat." He then turned to face the purple haired woman.

"Let's hurry and get this over with," she muttered as they both jumped into the air, solidifying the reishi under them to act as footholds.

For the second time, Liana watched as the reiatsu in the area increased significantly, materializing the representations of both families as they roared in power. Pure white reiatsu erupted from both heads as they turned away from each other and started chanting, twisting their hands in strange motions as they did so.

The jade colored legend above them screeched and spiraled upwards, its power and deadly grace making Liana's spine flaming bird shrieked loudly, following its fellow creature higher into the sky, massive waves of heat falling around them with every beat of its wings.

Their already formidable reiatsu flared as the beasts roared, flying higher than their masters and circling the sky. Rukia gasped as the heads of the Shihoin and Kuchiki clans came to rest, facing away from each other while kneeling on one knee, heads turned upwards so as to bare their necks and offer their lives.

For a single, suffocating moment, everything was silent. The Chinese armies far below paused in their attacks to watch the unfamiliar ritual. The avatars of two of the Soul Society's most powerful families continued to glide, silently, as everything around them waited with bated breath. Liana fidgeted in anxiety, gripping her wand tighter as Sirius laid a hand on her shoulder. She heard her aunt shift slightly, the quiet clink of metal telling her she had one hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto. Draco took a step forward and took his fiancée's hand. If something didn't happen, that was the most they would ever be – fiancés forever caught in the web of Death.

Suddenly, the creatures screeched, louder than ever. The intense silence that had dominated the land made the noise all the more earsplitting as Liana winced away from the sound, clutching the blond's hand tighter. All eyes were on the mythical beings as they dissolved into reishi, tiny specks of light swirling before spreading out to make a translucent, spherical barrier around the two nobles. The orb began expanding, becoming larger and larger as it slowly encompassed the Seireitei. The Chinese men down below started to shout as it pushed them back, recognizing them as intruders.

"_Out of the way!" _one man snarled. Liana watched as he forced his way to the front of the crowd, just beyond the bizarre shield. He pointed a wand up at the still kneeling duo, completely oblivious and vulnerable to attack.

"_A wizard," _she thought, dazed and unable to react properly as others copied him.

"On my mark!" he shouted. "One… two… three!"

She screamed when, as one, they shouted a curse that, had they been in Britain, would have gotten them all life sentences in Azkaban. Chartreuse jets of light shot towards the two captain level shinigami as time seemed to slow down. "_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

Gold and silver orbs snapped open as the words reached their ears, eyes still glowing as a result of the reiatsu that they were expending. Neither had time to react as multiple Killing Curses slammed into them, breaking their concentration and sending them tumbling to the ground. The orb of reishi kept pushing onwards, shoving the invaders back as Liana froze, unable to do anything but watch as the two people whom she respected the most in this world and the next started writhing in midair, plummeting to the barren cliff she was standing on, unable to make a sound as her mind screamed in terror.

The angry cries of the armies were forgotten as they hit the plateau, producing a cloud of dust that hid them from view. There was a short silence before a piercing screech broke through the air, a high pitched sound that rang in their ears, telling without words of a pain beyond all else, more than Voldemort could ever dream of achieving, even with the Cruciatus. Another scream joined it soon after, lower and throaty in such a way that made it seem so much more painful, the sound alone making Liana feel like her heart was being ripped open. Her chest constricted and felt unbearably tight as she helplessly watched the debris settle, hearing, for the first time, the sounds of agony from her father and mentor.

"Nii-sama!" Her aunt rushed forward, wanting desperately to do something but unsure of what she could do in the situation. Still, her shout was enough to snap Liana out of her reverie long enough to run to them.

"Father! Yoruichi!" Her already pale complexion lightened further as she saw crimson liquid begin to seep out of their mouths, trickling down their chins and necks as they continued to suffer.

"Merlin's bleeding arse and head," Sirius swore as he scrambled towards them. "What are we going to do?"

Draco frowned as he pulled a few vials out of his own pouch-necklace. "I have a couple of pain relievers and Sleeping Draughts. I'm not sure how effective they'd be in this situation, though…"

"Give them the pain relievers," his uncle said immediately, shouting to be heard over the noise. "We'll give them the Sleeping Draughts after we get to safety."

"_You aren't getting away!" _they heard a man scream in accented English. Rukia pushed Draco and Liana to the ground as Sirius ducked under the barrage of bullets and curses that flew over them.

"Hurry!" the lieutenant shouted. Draco hastily pulled out the stoppers on two of the vials and poured them into the mouths of the now silent shinigami.

"The portkeys!" she said quickly, grabbing her pouch with one hand and her father with the other. The two wizards copied her as Rukia gripped her niece's shoulder.

"_**RETREAT!"**_

She didn't know what was happening anymore. There was only a strange, whirring sound in her ears, the echoes of spells and machine guns that had been speeding overhead. Color blurred as she felt the semi-familiar tugging sensation of a portkey, clutching her father's hand (she idly noticed that it was twitching sporadically) before suddenly being dropped onto a stretch of emerald green grass.

"Where are we?" she asked a bit woozily. She never really liked portkeys, not since the Triwizard Tournament.

Sirius looked up, glancing around the area where they had landed. They were in what seemed to be a very nice park, with trees and benches placed in strategic locations to enhance the beauty of the area. A walkway wound through the place, artistically done and perfect for a serene stroll or sightseeing. The scene was made only more beautiful by the sunset in the distance, illuminating everything with a golden glow and dusting everything in sight with a fairy-like aura.

He frowned as the landscape before him triggered a memory from back his school years, back when he had taken Muggle Studies to spite his mother. Park… It was a muggle park in… America? It was famous for… something he couldn't quite remember. But where were they? Erm… Middle… Center… Central? Yeah! Central! So… Central… Park?

His eyes widened. "We're in Central Park," he breathed, "in New York! We're in the bloody United States!"

"But that means we're in a public muggle area!" Liana exclaimed as her attention was torn away from her father's collapsed form. "What are we going to do?"

"We are not," a voice rasped, hoarse from screaming, "in Central Park."

"Father!" the young witch hurried to help him. He was slowly pushing himself into a sitting position, trying not to go too quickly and remain stable, despite his still trembling form. Rukia supported him from the other side, glancing worriedly at her brother.

"This is a compound that Sofu and Daiki-dono purchased together before I was born," he said slowly, pausing slightly to catch his breath and try to soothe his burning throat. "They bought it when there was more free land in New York." The pain in his throat doubled and he fought to keep from coughing and worsening it. He couldn't bring himself to say any more, instead closing his eyes and allowing the two girls to support him.

"Oh." She felt an odd, wispy sensation niggling in the back of her mind as she remembered just how old her father was.

"_I was born in the year of 1770."_

"A servant should be here momentarily," he said quietly, trying to ease the pain in his throat without the aid of water. He had sent ahead a piece of monitoring parchment that would start flashing if one (or more) of the portkeys to the property was used.

Liana couldn't help but despair over his pain. If those as strong as her father and Yoruichi fell to the invasion, what good would the rest of them be? Moreover, they had always seemed so _strong_, so fearless! Aside from occasional fits of (possibly) faked grief and insanity on Yoruichi's part, and brief windows of a battle's wounds on her father's, she had _never _seen them in pain. It felt surreal.

"Ugh… my throat," Yoruichi moaned as she curled around herself, struggling to sit up. Sirius gently pushed her up, trying to do what he could to help. She leaned against him for support as lazy eyes looked around. "This is the place Father and Ginrei took me and Sojun after they tracked us down in Williamsburg," she said in remembrance.

"Forget that," Sirius exclaimed. "How do you feel?"

She chuckled before hacking violently. Liana winced as the coarse coughs reached her ears, her chest tightening again in worry and melancholy. She managed to give him a weak smile. "A bit shaky. Give me a glass of water and a soft bed, and I think I'll be fine."

"We should all get some rest," Byakuya said as a servant's silhouette appeared on the pathway. "The time difference from here to Japan, or here to Britain, is somewhat overwhelming."

Liana nodded, agreeing completely as she realized that in the half hour since she had woken up, her emotions had gone through all sorts of extremes. After all of the shocks that had been dealt to her system in the mere thirty minutes that she had been up, she was more than ready to find her bed.

The servant – a young maid with inky black hair – bowed quickly as the two noble heads slowly made their way to their feet, following her as she silently led them through the park-like area, mindful of their slow pace.

"How nostalgic," Yoruichi chuckled as she sipped from a water goblet that Sirius had conjured for her. "Except, the last time I was here, Father was dragging me while Ginrei scolded the both of us for coming in the first place… The look on Sojun's face was priceless…"

"I don't really think this is the time for reminiscing, Yoruichi-dono." Rukia sneaked a worried look at her brother.

"Hm. I guess not." She leaned into her fiancé, letting him support her weight while trying to get her twitching hand to still.

They group walked in silence as an enormous 18th century mansion emerged between the trees. Liana took a moment to appreciate its large, elegant spires and tastefully positioned windows and balconies before hurrying to keep up with her quasi-family.

Byakuya had felt his strength depleting throughout the slow journey, and was glad to rest once they had finally gotten into the building. He barely noticed Yoruichi wander off, hanging off of Sirius' shoulder to support her weight.

"Rooms have already been prepared, Lord Byakuya," the servant said quietly.

He gave a slight nod, dazedly calculating the time difference between Japan and New York. It had been six in the morning when he had woken his daughter, and the ritual had taken perhaps five minutes? The walk had seemed to have been forever, but surely it hadn't been any more than an hour… So it would be around seven in the morning in Japan, and New York was thirteen hours behind it, so… it was six in the evening, the day before. Jetlag would probably keep his sister, daughter, and future son-in-law up for a while. They would need something to do while he and Yoruichi were resting. Of course, he could always be wrong, but there would be plenty of time for them to be bored while he and Yoruichi slept.

"Liana," he said, startling her. "I want you and Mr. Malfoy to write a letter to Lord and Lady Malfoy, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, and perhaps to Minister Scrimgeour as well. Tell them what happened, but try to keep information on the ritual out of your letters. It seems we are at war." He paused as his thought process sluggishly continued. "For that matter, contact the Daily Prophet as well, and see if you can get in touch with the American wizards. Use your position as the Girl-Who-Lived and such if you have to."

"Yes, sir," Draco said quickly, already formulating what to put into his missive.

Liana nodded mutely, not quite understanding but still worried about her father.

"Rukia, contact Kurosaki Ichigo and the others. If they find out from someone else, they may panic and do something rash." Knowing Kurosaki, he would destroy any plans that they had at all. "Also, start rumors on the internet that the Chinese have discovered and attacked the beings of Heaven and protectors of God."

"Hai, Nii-sama…" Her brow furrowed. "But… why are we revealing ourselves to the humans?"

"Our attackers were those of the living, no one particularly extraordinary – we were attacked by humans, ordinary human beings. When such a large group of the living interferes with us, we can no longer maintain our secrecy." He sighed and slowly made his way into the room that the servant had opened the door to. "I will explain the rest later. Just do as I say for now."

"Hai, Nii-sama," she said quietly, watching as the servant closed the door and disappeared into the shadows.

"We'll need to find Hedwig, then," Draco offered, trying to break the somber atmosphere. "I suppose we'll have to write to my mother and father as well…"

"Yeah…" She glanced at the door, frowning. He got hit with several Killing Curses at the same time, and shut himself up in his room? She couldn't help but feel something inside her unsettle.

"Don't worry," Rukia smiled comfortingly, seeming to read her expression. "Nii-sama will be fine. He always has been before. It's best we just do as we're told."

"I guess…" Deciding to trust her aunt, she followed her to the study that they had passed on the way there. Surely he would be okay… right?

Noticing his fiancée's mood, Draco led her towards a desk, pushing a quill, an inkwell, and a piece of parchment into her hands. "Why don't you write Ron and Hermione like your father suggested? It'll help you feel better."

She nodded, thinking it would be best to do something with her hands. Taking the proffered items, she started the letter.

_Dear Ron and Hermione,_

_I know it's a bit strange of me to write you, especially since I'm supposed to be back tomorrow… or yesterday, or maybe today? I'm not sure. Unfortunately, things hadn't gone as planned. It all went well at the beginning, and I wish I could tell you how wonderful it was, but I think I'm too upset to really think about it. This morning, Father woke me up and told me that Chinese armies – magical AND muggles – were invading the Soul Society. Draco, my aunt, Yoruichi, and Sirius were already waiting for us. My father gave me a portkey and told me it would take me to a safe house. The armies started attacking then, and hit Yoruichi and my father were several Avada Kedavras. We just barely got away, and now we're in New York state. I'm supposed to write to the Ministries in Britain and the United States, but Father wanted me to let you guys know as well._

_Wish us luck,_

_Liana_

Draco smiled as she rolled up the parchment, keeping it held together with a length of ribbon he had transfigured from a hair. "Feeling better?"

"Not really," she admitted. "Do you think you can write the others? I don't think I can write about what happened so many more times."

He nodded. "I'll just need you to sign it at the end. It would be more effective if it's coming from the Girl-Who-Lived."

"Right." She sighed and walked over to the window seat, staring wearily out at the colorful sky and bustling city in the distance.

He sneaked a glance at her while preparing the other letters that needed to be written. In the brief time that they had been engaged, the two had decided to get to know each other better, more so than they had when they had initially been forced to befriend one another. He knew that his fiancée had gone through a lot in her relatively short life (especially when compared to her father's or any of the other shinigami's), and sometimes just wanted to be able to calm down and do whatever she wanted. Unfortunately, with the recent demise of Lord Voldemort, she didn't have that sort of time very often. He felt that it was his duty as her future husband to do whatever he could to lighten the load on her shoulders.

"_I hope I can grow to truly care for her," _he thought wistfully. "_I know we're friends – really good friends, at that – but I know that we haven't been able to develop true feelings for each other like her parents had, no matter how brief it was. Hopefully, it's only a matter of time. I know we're off to a good start already." _His mind wandered back to the school year when they had gone to Hogsmeade and Slughorn's parties together, and the feeling of deep rooted fear that he had felt when he had thought that the spells or bullets may have hit her when they had fled from the Soul Society.

"I think this is going to work out," he said quietly, watching as his fiancée stared at the landscape beyond her window. With a hint of a smile still gracing his lips, he picked up the quill and started writing.

_To my esteemed Minister Scrimgeour…_


	4. Sun, Sand, and Screaming

I do not own anything

I knew this would happen eventually! I forgot to update. Again. Oops?

Just to warn you all: My premonition (which you'll find on the last 'chapter' of Liana Kuchiki) came true. I've gotten fed up with trying to edit it, so I guess I'll just leave it as is. This is what I get for trying to write another fic while I already have another project to work on...

* * *

It wasn't until the day after their arrival in New York when Yoruichi and Byakuya were rested enough to leave their rooms, tired, but not as pained as they had been upon their arrival. The entire group of aristocrats (albeit in various stages of training) was currently in the sitting room, basking in the warmth of the fireplace as night settled outside.

Byakuya nodded as the youngest three of the group briefly explained what they had been doing in the past twenty-four hours. He closed his eyes as the information fell into place, and a deep silence settled around them. "It was a good choice to choose to come to The Land of the Free," he murmured.

Yoruichi smirked as the others looked confused. "Let me guess: you're planning something, aren't you?"

He inclined his head slightly, confirming her suspicions. "Due to the origin of their country, Americans are very sensitive to matters of freedom and takeover, especially when a non-communist land is being taken over by a communist nation. It was their entire drive during the Cold War. They, and consequently, their allies, have the ability to turn the tide of nearly any war. However, China is a major trading partner of the United States. If we wait too long, they will deem it the matter inconsequential. We need to get the attention of their press, government, and people as quickly as we can in an as eye-catching a way as possible."

"Is that why you had us write those letters, Father?" Liana asked curiously.

"The British would be insulted if they weren't informed, and we need as many allies as possible in such a crises. As it is, this involved two of their citizens." He idly smoothed down his daughter's hair. "Imagine how they would react if they discovered a foreign nation was attacking their Girl-Who-Lived."

"But what about the rumors about Heaven, Nii-sama?" Rukia blinked.

He frowned. "Some time ago, the Seireitei gained intelligence that the Chinese were planning an attack. The captains have been working out plans for multiple scenarios for a good length of time. As the British wizards knew of us already, they would likely boast knowledge of the afterlife to the other magical communities. We decided that we may as well let the rest of the world know before they let off inane speculations and started terrifying themselves with idiotic suspicions, which would most likely erupt in warfare between the Soul Society and the World of the Living. However, the humans have proved that they do not react well when faced with a new group of people whom they do not understand. Slowly leaking information via international rumors and tabloids would give them time to adjust. If we start now and all goes well, we will have international support by the end of the summer."

"What about the Wizarding World?" Draco asked worriedly. "Are you going to reveal us as well?"

He shook his head. "The shinigami do not have the right to reveal the wizards to muggles. That is for your ministries and the International Confederation of Wizards to decide."

"Blimey, I hope it always isn't like this," Sirius muttered, running a hand through his hair. He glanced at his fiancée. "Is it always this crazy with you people?"

She grimaced. "We can only wish the afterlife was as peaceful as humans think. These days, it's only one problem after another."

"Bloody hell."

~oOo~

Liana cursed quietly as she fumbled with the two piece swimsuit that she and Hermione had bought two weeks ago. Had it really only been a couple of weeks? It seemed so much longer. Still, she was having a bit of trouble with putting the string bikini on properly, considering it was the first time she was wearing one. Sure, she had worn a swimsuit during the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, but that had been a one piece that was very simple to put on. Finally managing to tie the strings together without getting her hair caught in them, she looked up into the mirror in the small changing room.

Peering over the sunglasses that Sirius had bought everyone ("You're bloody mad if you go to the beach without sunglasses," he had proclaimed. Her father had grudgingly accepted after the animagus whined for an hour about wasting time, money, and effort to get ones that everyone would like), she inspected her reflection, blushing when she noticed how much skin the she was showing. Unfortunately, apart from the one pieces and tankinis (which Hermione had absolutely refused to let her buy), these were the most… conservative ones she could find. Who knew that some women's idea of swimwear was practically just a pair of panties made of a stretchy material? Still, she couldn't help but grin at the obvious Gryffindorness of the crimson suit with gold trimming.

Like the previous two summers, she had expected to spend the entire summer in whatever house she was living in at time, training and preparing to deal with whatever problem the outside world had deigned necessary to push onto her family's shoulders. However, it seemed that Yoruichi and Sirius had different ideas. Apparently, they had been spending the better part of their stay in New York pestering her father into taking them to the beach. Sirius had said that they could "very well go on our bloody own, but we don't want to leave you, Draco, and Rukia to rot in this stuffy place." They had said that it was a good idea to take a break and let loose every once in a while, along with something about her and Draco never getting the chance to act like actual teenagers. It was after a week of begging, demanding, and overall pestering that Byakuya finally relented and arranged a beach trip.

Pulling her hair into a messy bun with one hand, she rifted through the bag that Yoruichi had forced on her in search of sunscreen.

"Please tell me one of the others has it," she muttered when she realized that it wasn't in her bag. Sighing, she picked up her wand holster and strapped it onto her right forearm, tapping it to activate the Notice-Me-Not charm that had been absorbed into its structure. Well, maybe it would be nice to get a tan.

Smiling despite her sunscreen problem, she stepped out of the dressing room and onto the patio of the beach side cottage that Yoruichi had apparently bought on a whim several decades back.

"So how do I look?" she asked, giving a little twirl.

Sirius wolf-whistled, grinning widely. "You look great, Prongslette! Better let those boys know you're off the market… actually, don't do that. It'll be funny to see them trying to impress you."

Her previous blush returned full force at his words, and she started fidgeting uncomfortably.

"I disagree," her father said flatly. "I find the Wizarding World's sense of modesty much more appealing than the Muggle one's. Couldn't you wear something over that?"

"Oh, don't be so old fashioned, Byakuya-bo," Yoruichi chided, stepping out of her own dressing room in an orange bikini with triangular, yellow designs on it, oval lenses protecting her eyes from the hot summer sun. "It's the twenty-first century! Get used to it already."

"You're so lucky, Yoruichi-dono," Rukia said enviously, effectively changing the subject. "Your skin tone actually lets you get away with wearing orange!"

Liana agreed immediately. The few times she had tried on orange clothing, she had felt mortified at her reflection and prayed that no one else saw her in it.

"Yeah, well, it's in the genes," she smirked, preening in their attention. "Maybe if you guys get a tan. It's too bad your skin lightened up, Liana."

"Oh, about that." She blinked as she remembered the dilemma she was faced with. "Does anyone have sunscreen?"

"Sorry," her aunt said apologetically. "Sirius-san squeezed it all onto the sand after Nii-sama and I finished with it." She pointed pointed to a pile of white, creamy substance just outside of the wooden platform. "He said something about you and Draco-san needing tans." She rolled her eyes at the reoccurring subject.

"Well, that's just dandy, isn't it?" the blond drawled sarcastically as the door to his changing room opened. He was wearing forest green swim trunks with silver lining as he glared at his uncle through the silver rimmed shades. He scowled unhappily. "How am I supposed to explain to Father why my complexion is darker when we get back to England? I'll look like a Weasley!"

"Stop living in the eighteenth century, Draco," Sirius said cheerfully. "A few muscles from Quidditch coupled with a good tan can do wonders with the ladies." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively before adding as an afterthought, "Not that you need it, of course."

He rolled his eyes as Liana quipped, "I don't know if I should take offense to that, Sirius."

"Aw, y'know I'm just joking, Prongslette," he grinned. "The thing is, as Draco's uncle and your dogfather, I'm obligated to try to embarrass you as much as possible!"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure that's Byakuya and Narcissa's jobs," Yoruichi commented, "but seeings as I can't see either of them doing that, I guess you'll do." She winked at the black haired man, hefting her bag onto her shoulder and pushing her sunglasses off of her crown and onto her nose. "Now are we going to the beach or not?"

Her question was met with enthusiasm from her fiancé and Rukia as Byakuya sighed and stood up. Liana took the opportunity to glance at what her godfather, aunt, and father were wearing.

Sirius was sporting simple black swim trunks with a thin red line running on the seams. The emaciated skeleton he had been before was replaced with a healthy, nicely formed (if pale) body, complete with a few developing muscles. His chin length, wavy ebony tresses had been expertly tousled to give off a roguishly handsome look while gold framed shades with obnoxiously large lenses were perched on his nose, so dark you couldn't see Black family's trademark pale, blue eyes through them.

Her aunt was wearing a simple, yet flattering one piece that was, for the most part, white with a blue tint. The edging was lined with a darker blue and a pair of sunglasses with dark purple rims sat on her hairline. Her raven hair had been twisted and pinned up with a few strands falling free, giving her a cute but messy look.

Her father was the one that surprised her the most. He was wearing navy blue trunks with a short sleeve zip-up jacket that was left open in the front, revealing muscles that were a necessity with his line of work. He was, most likely due to Sirius' incessant pouting, wearing a pair of sunglasses like the rest of them, although he didn't seem to be very happy about it. She had to wonder how many people were going to appreciate his appearance, and shuddered at the answer her traitorous mind provided.

"Don't frown so much, Byakuya-bo," Yoruichi scolded teasingly, smiling widely as she adjusted her bag. "It'll give you wrinkles. Who knows? Something good might happen."

"Enough talk, to the beach!" Sirius cheered, sprinting off of the patio and down the stone path that would eventually lead him to the overcrowded New York shoreline.

Being her first time to a beach (why would the Dursleys ever take her on a vacation?), Liana was fascinated by the place, and immediately started exploring while everyone else contented with resting on the sand and/or sleeping.

"So this is what a sea breeze is," she smiled, standing in the shallow water and letting the salty air wash over her while her toes squished and squashed about the wet sand.

She had wandered a bit away from where her family was, excited to finally experience the fun that Dudley had always bragged about when he came back from the seashore. The multitude of people aside, the beach was a new, beautiful place that promised fun for those who looked for it, even if it was a bit noisy.

She dipped her hand into the cold water, picking up a clump of seaweed (or was it algae?) and pulling it into the air, watching the playful strands go limp as they left the water.

She was still inspecting the vegetation when something heavy collided with her, pushing her into the water and forcing her to lose her grip on the seaweed. Her body was suddenly cold and wet, making her shriek and sputter as her bum made friends with the muddy sand.

She looked up to see a boy of maybe nineteen years with chestnut brown hair and tan skin, looking down at her with surprise.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, offering a hand to help her up. "I was trying to catch up with my friend over there," he pointed at a redhead who was watching a bit away, "and I guess I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's alright," she said, taking the proffered hand and pulling herself to her feet. "A little water never hurt anyone."

"Yeah." He glanced at her, taking note of her accent. "Are you English?"

"Yes, I am," she smiled. "My family is staying in New York for the summer, and my godfather's fiancée has a house down the street." She gestured the the line of gray that was barely visible from where they were standing.

"Cool. I'm Luke Miller," he said.

"My name's Liana Potter."

"C'mon, I'll introduce you to Nick." He took her hand and started leading her towards the redheaded boy. He was a thin, but not unattractive boy with reddish-brown hair that was styled with bangs swept over his face, bringing attention to his mischievous brown eyes. He waved slightly as they approached, eying her curiously.

"Nick, this is my new friend, Liana Potter," Luke said with an over dramatic sweep of the hand. "Liana, this is my best friend, Nick Schiffman."

"Nice to meet you," she said politely.

"Yeah. Gotta say, Luke, you really know how to pick 'em," Nick joked, winking at her.

"Pick 'em? More like crash into 'em," he snorted.

"Don't worry, I've had worse than a boy rudely interrupting me and pushing me into the water," Liana shrugged. "I'm a pretty sturdy girl."

"Good to hear," he nodded. "D'you wanna go get some ice cream?"

"Sure!" she beamed. Ice cream would be a nice touch to what was already such a good day, and she had a craving for raspberry.

She spent the next hour or so with the two boys, joking around, having ice cream, and overall having a good time. They were teaching her how to play volleyball when Draco approached.

"Liana?" he called. "We're going to go get some lunch. Are you coming?"

"Who's blondie?" Nick muttered. Liana pretended not to hear him as she tossed the ball at Luke.

"Draco, come meet my new friends," she urged, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the boys. "Draco, this is Luke Miller and Nick Schiffman. Luke, Nick, this is my fiancé, Draco Malfoy."

"'Fiancé'?" Luke said incredulously. "What the hell do you mean? You're, what? Fifteen?"

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm seventeen this July. Draco and I go to the same boarding school back in Britain, and our families have some business together, so it all works out."

"'Boarding school'?" Nick mouthed. "Damn… and here I thought I'd finally met the right girl."

"Sorry," she said idly. "We can always be friends, though. We're staying at the house down the bend, the white one with the wrap-around terrace. Only until Saturday, though, then it's back to Rochester."

"Sweet, we'll come by," Luke grinned. "See you then, Liana!"

The second it became politely acceptable to do so, Draco quickly dragged her away from the two boys and towards where the others had walked up. "What are you doing?" he hissed into her ear. "Are you trying to lead them on or something?"

"What?" She blinked at him. "They're just friends, Draco. What are you so upset about?"

"I'm upset about you flirting with other guys even though you _know _you can't be with them!" His gaze darkened. "Why are you bothering with the blasted dolts! They're obviously trying to get you to be their effing girlfriend! Just friends my arse!" People were starting to stare at them, their attention grabbed by the loud voices and foreign accents.

"'Flirting'? What the bloody hell do you mean, flirting!" she scowled. "What? Am I not allowed to have any male friends anymore? Who died and made you God? Stop being such a jealous prat, Malfoy!"

"Maybe once you start taking life seriously, Potter!" he snapped.

"Both of you, stop it." The Kuchiki lord's voice was low and quiet, but certainly held enough authority for the two of them to obey immediately. "You're causing a scene."

"And not the good kind," Yoruichi commented, glancing to the side. Golden eyes swept over the whispering crowd, taking brief note of two scowling men with distinctly Asian features. They were in clothes that were much too bulky for the beach and seemed to be signaling to each other. "Shite."

The Kuchiki lord glanced at her, an otherwise meaningful look hidden behind the bored aloofness. "What is it, Yoruichi?"

Her voice dropped so it wouldn't travel very far. "We need to get out of here as inconspicuously as possible." Too late, she spotted the glint of polished technology in the young witch's hair. Hastily, she swiped at it, throwing it to the ground and burying it into the sand. "Goddammit!"

The sounds of screams and bullet fire exploded through the air. Liana shrieked as she was suddenly pushed to the ground, disoriented by the sudden noise and the dizzying sight of feet stampeding in front of her. She whimpered and curled in on herself as the panicked masses stumbled around her, some not even bothering and either jumping over her or using her body as a footstool. Confusion and fear fogged her mind as she tried to wiggle away from the chaos. Her body moved without her mind, using an abandoned umbrella to pull herself to her feet before joining the fleeing crowd. Another blast of gunshot accented the air, and her scream was lost in all of the others as a searing pain shot through her shoulder. She was vaguely aware of a warm, red liquid trickling down her arm as her body slowed and she struggled to think coherently through the pain and fear.

More shots. Louder screaming. A crying child. Red stained the sand. Sirens. Flashing lights in the distance. Darkness crawled into her sight. People all over the beach, unconscious, trying to leave. Darker, it was getting darker. People in identical uniforms jumped out of the cars. Black. Silence. Nothing.

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I seem to like these things for some reason... Review!


	5. Unexpected Contacts

I do not own anything

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_A crying child. Red stained the sand. Sirens. Flashing lights in the distance. Darkness crawled into her sight. People all over the beach, unconscious, trying to leave. Darker, it was getting darker. People in identical uniforms jumped out of the cars. Black. Silence. Nothing._

~oOo~

The next time she awoke, it was to the familiar _clean _smell of a medical facility and the beeps of whirrs of muggle machines. She simply lay there for a few moments, trying to process where she was before realizing that she was, for the first time in her life, in a muggle hospital. Slowly, she opened her eyes, instinctively trying to push herself into a sitting position, only to wince at a pain in her left shoulder and flop back onto the bed.

"It seems that Madam Pomfrey was correct when she claimed you to be a terrible patient." Peeking through her lashes, she saw her father sitting in a chair beside her, looking amused, if tired, as a smile ghosted across his lips. Her gaze wandered away as she took in the white, sterile room that was much too bland for her liking, dotted with a few bouquets of flowers and various get-well-soon gifts.

"What happened?" She winced at the hoarseness of her own voice, finding the scratchy sound irritating. Her father took no notice – or maybe he just pretended not to? – before pushing a button built into the hospital bed's frame.

"You were shot in the shoulder. The men who started the chaos were Chinese agents who were sent to find us. They have been taken into police custody and are being interrogated for information by the federal government." Despite her grogginess, she couldn't help but notice that his voice was level and detached, as if he was in shock. She pushed the observation aside.

"What about Draco and the others?"

"Fine. Out of the six of us, you were the only one injured." A doctor and nurse bustled into the room and both fell silent, allowing the two of them to run various tests and whatever they needed to do. Her father motioned for her to go back to sleep once they had left. "After everything that has happened, I'm sure that you're exhausted."

"Mmm." She yawned in agreement before laying back down, content to fall back into oblivion. While not the most comfortable of beds, the stiff mattress fulfilled its purpose as she slowly fell deeper into her mind.

Byakuya watched silently as his daughter fell asleep, his gaze straying to the bandages wrapped around her shoulder. "_I will make them pay for daring to harm my family."_

~oOo~

When Liana woke up, it was to a kind-faced (if tired) nurse gently shaking her awake. Her gaze trailed behind her to where her father was standing, watching her as her mind struggled to come fully to awareness.

"How do you feel?" the nurse asked softly, a far cry from Madam Pomfrey's bossy, business-like demeanor.

"Fine," she said shortly, uncomfortable with a complete stranger being so close, and cast a questioning glance towards her father. With it was her first stay at a muggle hospital, it was understandable that she didn't understand what was going on and was eager to find some kind of reassurance.

"She will be running a few tests on you before we leave, Liana," he said, responding to her uneasiness and moving closer to her side. "She's just making sure you have healed enough to leave."

Deciding to trust her father's judgment, she allowed the woman to continue her administrations, despite not understanding the reasoning behind most of them. After a highly uncomfortable fifteen minutes, she stopped and directed them to the checkout area.

"I'm sorry, but we're out of wheelchairs," the nurse said apologetically. "Do you want to carry her down, sir, or should I call one of the interns?"

He raised an eyebrow, as if her question had dramatically lowered her opinion of her. "I will be fine, thank you," he said coolly. The woman flushed and smiled nervously before slipping out of the room, hurrying to get to her other patients.

Liana closed her eyes tiredly as her father gently picked up her bridal style, leaning her head against the warmth of his chest and allowing the outside world to fade into the background. He held her gently, as if trying to protect her from the dangers of the world while still allowing her the freedom to move. She sighed quietly when they got to the checkout desk. Rather than setting her down in one of the nearby chairs as most would have done, her father shifted her weight to one arm while filling out the release papers with practiced ease.

She could feel his concern for her wrapping around her like a security blanket as he carried her out of the hospital and towards a limo (though thankfully not a stretch limo). He gave the chauffeur a nod before carefully letting her down, taking the seat to her left a few seconds later.

"Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley have replied to your letters," he said, handing her two pieces of heavy parchment. One from Ron and one from Hermione. "They sent letters to Mr. Black as well. They seemed rather worried."

She opened them eagerly as her father put a hand to her shoulder. The dull throbbing that had been there slowly melted away as his hand glowed a warm green. She smiled gratefully before turning her attention to the letters.

_'Dear Liana,_

_Are you alright? I was so worried when I saw the news broadcast! Three dead and thirty-seven wounded, did you know? There was a clip of what happened. It looked like they were recording you and Draco fighting at first (__Flirting__? Really? It looks like someone has the green eyed monster…), and it really scared me when the gunshots started. They've put it one the internet, and it's very popular. I heard that it's an international scandal. Chinese agents deliberately attacking British and Japanese citizens on American soil. The political outrage is enormous! It's even leaked to the Prophet! Mr. Malfoy gave a statement, actually. He said it was an outrage that his son is being attacked just for being near his betrothed, and he's pushing for Scrimgeour to put sanctions on Magical China. The Muggle world _and _the Magical world are going crazy! I do hope Lord Kuchiki has a plan on how he's going to handle it…_

_On another note (or maybe not), I've been seeing rumors about the Chinese government attacking the beings of the afterlife. It's not just in the muggle papers, either. Viktor sent me a letter and said there was something about it in Bulgaria too. He said that he went on a tour around Asia and that Japan is fully convinced of it. What's going on? I've heard from a friend of my parents' that the rumors are being pushed on by families that have a key role in the political and economic worlds. I have a sneaking suspicion that you're involved somehow._

_Anyway, I hope that you've gotten started on your homework (although, I suppose you haven't had the time. I expect to hear about the fascinating things you've learned about the Soul Society and America!). I've already finished most of it. I had to get it out of the way if I wanted to look into what Lord Kuchiki mentioned about the American wizards finding a way to make technology work near magic (I'd appreciate it if you could find something on that for me. It's nice to use magic at home, but my computer and iPod keep crashing). I tried to put some of my research into my Charms essay. Do you think Professor Flitwick would help me? I've already owled Flourish and Blotts and asked them if they have an American counterpart or catalog. It would be nice if the Wizarding World progressed a bit more. The traditional setting is charming and all, but I miss muggle conveniences a lot at Hogwarts._

_Yours,  
Hermione'_

Liana smiled before setting the letter in her map. It was typical of Hermione to talk more about homework and world events than what most people their age would. Still, the politics and rumors that she mentioned made her nervous. She knew her father had mentioned using them, but she couldn't understand how he could possibly use something on such a grand scale to his advantage.

Eventually, she decided she would ponder it later and opened the next letter, revealing Ron's messy scrawl.

_'Dear Liana,_

_Bloody hell, mate! Hermione told me about what happened. How'd you end up in America? Mum's driving everyone mad. She thinks you might be one of the dead ones, but Hermione says your aunt flooed her on her fellytone and said you should be fine. Malfoy Sr.'s pretty mad, though he and Dad aren't arguing for once. Mum and Mrs. Malfoy teamed up against them, saying that fighting each other won't help you and Malfoy Jr. (I don't care what you say, mate. I'm never gonna like that slimy git)._

_Fred and George say that they're gonna prank the hell outta China if they get the chance. I think they're gonna try _and _be your bodyguards or something. Bill's getting married, so he's too busy to be very concerned. Guess who she is? Fleur Delacoeur! I can't wait until they tie the knot. A _veela _in the family!_

_You're invited, of course. I think Krum's coming too. I'm not sure if Bill's inviting your dad (though he's definitely asking Sirius to come!). It's on the 1st of August._

_Ron'_

Liana smiled at her friend's letter. Bill and Fleur were getting married? That was going to be interesting. It would be a welcome piece of good news after so much misfortune. It would be a good distraction.

The warm feeling in her shoulder subsided, leaving it feeling much better than it had a mere hour ago. Carefully, she set the parchment down on top of Hermione's letter, a peaceful glow growing in her chest in response to the mail from her friends.

She glanced up, watching Rochester's landscape fly past through the window and seeing her father look through some papers in the glass reflection. The rest of the ride went by quickly, and they were soon parked in front of the sprawling mansion that was jointly owned by the two families.

The large, ornate doors burst open as Sirius ran outside, followed by Yoruichi and Draco as Rukia watched from the doorway. She had to stifle a laugh as her godfather stumbled down the short flight of stairs in front of the doors, pinwheeling his arms to keep from overbalancing and crashing onto his face.

"Liana!" he cried happily when he was no longer in danger of falling. He rushed over to the car and beamed into the window, forcing her to swallow her amusement and try to seem as if she didn't find his uncharacteristic clumsiness to be hilarious.

He was practically bouncing with excitement as the chauffeur herded him to the side in order to open the door. She smiled at where Yoruichi and Draco had stopped as her father lifted her from the car, the two letters clutched tightly in her hands.

Sirius was quickly replaced by Padfoot as the dog started yelping happily, running frantically around them as he chased his tail and displayed his enthusiasm.

"He's been dying to see you," Yoruichi informed her. "He almost wore a ditch in the Entrance Hall with his pacing." The large dog whined at her before going back to his excited barking.

Liana laughed at her godfather's playfulness, twisting her head to watch him from her position in her father's arms.

"Hopefully, he will manage to exhaust himself," he muttered, so low she barely heard it. Draco gave her a large smile before falling into step next to her father.

"What did the healers say, sir?" he asked.

"That she needs to rest for the next few days," he said, glancing at his daughter. It was a battle to get her to rest for ten minutes, much less several days. He had the feeling that they would eventually end up forcing her into an artificial sleep.

Yoruichi snorted. "Forget resting. We have potions and kido that can help her. Besides, there's something more important that we need to worry about." An odd glint appeared in her eyes as an odd seriousness settled around the group. "We got a phone call while you were at the hospital," she said.

"The President wants us to visit."

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This fic is moving much faster than I thought it would. I guess it's my fault for going too long without a place to stop the chapters... Review!


	6. All Work and No Play

I do not own anything

How ironic is it that the day I update this is the last day of school (well, for me, anyway)? Summer vacation! Yes, I'm still a student, which explains my less-than-stellar writing style.

Anyway, starting next week, I'll only be updating on Saturdays instead of every eight days (though that _would_ be considered a single week in France... I'm so easily distracted) so more frequent updates! Yay?

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"_We got a phone call while you were at the hospital. The President wants us to visit."_

~oOo~

Liana was dazed when, fifteen minutes after returning from the hospital, she found herself in the drawing room with several vials of potions waiting for her consumption.

"It worked better than we thought it would," Yoruichi was saying. "The more religious and the doubters don't believe it, but we managed to get most of the country –" a glance down at her papers "– no, most of the _world _to believe us. The Japanese government believed us in the first place when we approached them two years ago, the beach incident has the Americans up-in-arms, and Lord Malfoy has Europe covered. Between that and the influence Magical Britain has on the other countries, and we've got the major powers of the world waiting practically begging for our next move."

Liana watched quietly as she held the first vial to her lips, swallowing the bitter concoction with a grimace. She didn't really understand what was going on – she had never held much of a fancy for politics. Her father, on the other hand, seemed to understand what the violet haired woman talking about much better than she did.

The eyes that had been so worried at the hospital now had a seriousness in them that seemed to portray the situation as one that meant life or death… but then, that was precisely what it meant to countless souls. In the past few years of living as the daughter of a shinigami captain, she had rarely seen her father this way. Yes, he was often solemn, but never had she seen this utter concentration – the quiet, controlled focus that spoke of war and the knowledge that the slightest mistake could mean death for so many others.

She couldn't say it scared her. It didn't. But it did unnerve her.

"Speaking of which, what _is _the next move?" Sirius asked, scratching his head. While he had grown up in a family largely centered around politics, he had been away from that life for so long that he couldn't remember the intricacies of what he had learned there.

Yoruichi rolled her eyes fondly at her fiancé. "We go meet the president, of course," she said. "We've managed to create enough chaos to get the _world _interested. Foreign dignitaries and news reporters will be flocking to hear what we have to say. We'll need to make some speeches, of course, and we'll have to make them really convincing…" She continued to rattle off in a similar manner as Hermione. Liana was a bit startled to realize how alike her best friend was to her normally laid back and mischievous mentor. She realized that, while she had been living with her for the better part of a year (and sullenly separated for a portion of the next), there were sides to the woman that she couldn't hope to understand.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Yoruichi," her father said. "Before anything else, we need to decide exactly what we want to accomplish and how much we can reveal to the general public."

"Hm? Oh right." She nodded distractedly before pulling out a paper and pencil. Sirius and Draco stared in confusion at the muggle utensils. Having grown up in the Wizarding World, the only writing utensils they knew of were quills and parchment, and neither had much of an idea of how to react when faced with foreign muggle items. Liana picked up the next potion as Yoruichi charmed the pencil to write on its own. She looked around at them. "Any suggestions?"

"No mention of magic," Draco promptly said after over his confusion. "The Wizarding World will help you with this – I'm sure of that – but I don't think they would condone you revealing our world to all those muggles."

"Fair enough." Byakuya nodded in agreement. He knew that the Malfoy heir was just reiterating the condition that he had set down before, but he understood how, as a scion of a Most Ancient and Noble house, he was concerned for the secrecy of the Wizarding World. The pencil scratched a note down as he pulled out a piece of parchment and unrolled it – sideways, Liana noticed idly. He set it down on the ornate coffee table that they were seated around, and she struggled to understand the mass of Japanese characters stroked deliberately onto the sheet. She may have been learning the language, but the written form confused her greatly. Yoruichi glanced at it as the pencil began rapidly scribbling things down.

"The captains have been discussing this possibility at length for years," he said calmly. "Safe houses have been prepared and the rest of the Seireitei is currently in hiding all over the world. The captain commander has given permission to reveal what we feel necessary, and this is what the captains decided would be most effective in persuading the muggles."

Liana squinted at the parchment, trying to understand what it said. _Rei… _the word for spirit or soul, her mind whispered to her. _Oh… King?_

"Why does it say something about a king?" she asked, looking up at her father and soon-to-be godmother (if she wasn't already. If nothing else, the past few weeks had proven to her that the two shinigami had been doing much more than just fighting Voldemort in the past two years).

"A part of the reason why shinigami exist is to protect our king – the reioh. He is the man who keeps the fabrics of reality together – a lynchpin, if you will. He is, in essence, God." The two wizards and witch stared at each other in disbelief. As magic users, they had long since disregarded the possibility of a higher being (other than Magic herself, of course, and perhaps famed magic users such as Merlin, Morgana, and Circe).

"All of the major religions in the world include some kind of higher being, as well as a theory on what there is after Death," the Kuchiki lord said. "They may not accept that the Afterlife is not truly as their holy books say, but the prospect of being able to serve their Creator at all will be tempting. We are planning to use this desire to convince at least some of the muggles to help us. Of course, there are atheists who don't believe in religion at all. They will most likely be convinced by morals rather than beliefs. Most developed nations do not condone the takeover of an already settled land by military force."

"With the exception of China itself, of course," Yoruichi said with a wry grin.

"Can we get back to the subject, please?" Sirius whined, his overwhelming curiosity shoved aside.

Yoruichi chuckled. "Alright. Here's what we'll do…"

~oOo~

The sound of explosions tore through the air at the Burrow, St. Ottery's Catchpole, followed by deathly silence before the thundering of feet and loud scolding erupted from the dilapidated building.

Hermione sighed from where she was sitting in the apple orchard, burying her nose deeper into the articles that her parents had printed out and sent to her. Ever since she had heard about the New York beach shooting, she had been researching what to do and keeping an eye on things as best she could. The fact that she was in the technology-phobic Wizarding World didn't stop her.

She was surprised by the direction things were going. The muggle news was exploding with whispers about the citizens of the Afterlife being attacked, and the implication of something deeper being behind the shooting. The United States had gotten involved as well. Apparently, their citizens were very upset about the 'terrorist attack' on American soil, having become extremely sensitive on such things since they had first seen Spudnik. Some of them were connecting the dots and spreading their need to know exactly _what _was happening, and demanded that their government reveal what the citizens of the afterlife had to do with the beach shooting.

Of course, China was vehemently denying any involvement in the attack, though some experts thought that they saw body language that signified untruths. Personally, she thought that, yes, they _were _lying. No. Not just thought. She _knew_. She knew that they had invaded the Soul Society and driven the shinigami out. She knew that they had managed to torture her friend's father and mentor so badly they _screamed_. She knew that they had tracked down Liana and her family in New York and attacked them there too. She paused. How _had _they found them in the first place? Her brow furrowed as she dived back into the articles and the notes she had taken from them, her hair growing ever frizzier as the answer continued to elude her. She bit her lip. If they could get them once, they could surely get them again.

She really needed to find out how they had followed them.

~oOo~

Liana enjoyed the next day, despite still being weak from being shot. Having decided to take advantage of the opportunity while they could, Yoruichi had dragged her, Draco, and Sirius to the Wizarding shopping center of Rochester. Being New York, rather than an street full of stores like Diagon or Knockturn Alley, it was a large mall instead. She had been to a mall a few times in her childhood (though only when her Aunt Petunia didn't feel like carrying everything herself that day) but she had never been allowed to actually _buy _anything. Yoruichi had a grin on her face as she led them into the large building.

"Let's meet up at noon for lunch," she said, handing each of them a bag. Liana peeked in to see nothing but a card. She pulled it out and stared curiously at the credit card in her hand. It was a shiny, golden one that had GRINGOTTS BANK engraved onto the side. The thick black line running lengthwise down one side of the card contrasted greatly with the sparkling gold. On the other side, _LIANA L POTTER _was imprinted in raised silver letters under a line of numbers in the same style and font. "I got them made before we went to the beach," she explained. "Mine and Sirius' pull from one of the spare Shihoin accounts, yours pulls from one Byakuya set up for pocket money – though why you need a bank account for _pocket money _is beyond me – and Draco's pulls from an account where the Kuchikis _apparently _store all the money they don't need."

"What the devil is this?" Draco muttered, turning the card in his hand and apparently not paying attention to a word that she was saying.

"A debit card, Draco." Yoruichi rolled her eyes. "You know how to use one, right, Liana?"

"Um… yeah." She had seen her Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia use them often enough, though for the life of her, she couldn't tell what the difference between a debit card and a credit card was.

"Good. Show Draco how to use it. We'll meet you two at the food court!" With a cheery wave, she hurried to the nearest store, dragging a very confused Sirius behind her.

Draco was still staring at the card. Liana sighed before looking more carefully at the stores around her. Her eyes brightened when she saw a sign decorated in pastels.

"Draco, let's get some chocolate!"

~oOo~

A few hours later, the two teens were sitting in the food court, surrounded by bags of all sizes. After the Malfoy heir had relaxed and gotten vaguely used to the eerily muggle-like surroundings, the time had passed much more cheerfully.

It was one of the few times since coming to America when the two were allowed alone, mostly because of a stream of chaotic events coupled with the others' need to know that the two youngest – and most vulnerable – of their group were safe.

"I don't think I've ever walked around so much in my life," Draco complained.

Liana laughed. "But it was a lot of fun, Draco."

He huffed. "Not with all those bloody people staring at us like they were." The other shoppers had been bemused to see the well dressed heir being led around by the only slightly less clueless girl. Upon hearing their accents, they had scoffed and turned away, a few of them muttering about "backwards Europeans." Needless to say, the blond teen was a bit miffed at their distaste, although Liana doubted he was actually as upset as his behavior hinted at.

She had had a wonderful morning. She had wanted to wander about a mall ever since she had been seven years old and her Aunt Petunia had taken her for the first time, and to see muggle and magical cultures intertwined so evenly was incredible. As per request, she had gotten the books and catalogs that Hermione had asked her about, asking the sales clerk where to find the information while Draco thumbed through some things that he wanted for himself. Of course, that wasn't everything they had gotten. She had found an ATM near one of the Quidditch stores and, with some difficulty understanding how to use it, had realized that her father had loaded the card with more money than what most people could ever dream of having. After that, they had lost all restraint (not that Draco had had much in the first place) and just bought everything that took their fancy.

In all honesty, she didn't even know what some of the things in their bags were. Draco had claimed that they were worth having, but refused to tell her what they were.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted as Yoruichi and Sirius came into view, laughing at something and searching leisurely through the food court.

"Liana! Draco!" The purple haired woman beamed as she sauntered over to the table, a single bag swinging from her arm. She glanced at the avalanche of bags around them. "You _do _know that you can use magic, right?"

Draco scowled at her. "Of course," he said in a scathing tone, "but in case you have forgotten – we're _underage."_

She snorted. "America's laws on magic are like their laws on driving cars. As long as you're sixteen, you can legally use it." She paused. "No, wait. They need to take a driving test… Whatever. You can use magic if you're sixteen."

His jaw dropped, stupefied, before he whipped out his wand and shrunk the bags around them, floating them into the one bag that he had left in its original size.

Liana hid a grin at the blond's irritation, instead turning her attention to the older couple. "So what did you guys get?" she asked cheerfully.

Yoruichi plopped into the seat next to her, tapping her chin in thought. "Hmm. A bunch of souvenirs, a bunch of prank items, some electronics…"

Draco sneered. "Are you sure we're at a magical establishment? Muggle e-lek-tricks don't work near magic."

She ignored his mangling of the muggle term. "American wizards found out how to program muggle electronics to work with magic. It's apparently pretty easy, if you know how. Anyway, I got you some stuff too, Liana. I figured it'd be easier to text or email rather than waiting for letters."

"What exactly did you get?" she asked cautiously. To be completely honest, she didn't particularly know her way around muggle technology. She knew the basics, of course – she had had to learn during primary school – but she didn't know the more intricate uses for them.

"Nothing too weird. Just some laptops, iPods, and cellphones. They programmed them to convert magic into Internet service. Isn't it awesome?"

"Uh… yeah. Sure." She was going to be spending some time trying to learn her way around the devices later. At least Hermione would have working equipment to tinker with when they got back to Hogwarts.

Yoruichi beamed. "I got four of each. One for you, me, Rukia, and Hermione."

"That's… uh… great, Yoruichi." She gave a weak smile. The muggleborn was going to be thrilled.

"Why are we still sitting around?" Sirius wondered aloud. "Let's get something to eat!"

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Review!


	7. Skype, Parents, and Other Things

I do not own anything

At this rate, I'll have nothing left to update in about a month. Oh well, I guess that just means I have more time to focus on my other project...

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It was a brilliant, golden morning at St. Ottery's Catchpole in the county of Devon. A young woman watched as the sun's gentle touch caressed everything around her, slowly changing the lavender sky into a magnificent golden color. Normally, no one, save the matriarch of the family she was staying with, was up at this hour, but she had taken to spending the early morning outdoors to watch the country sunrise and study in the peace that usually didn't exist in the Weasley household.

As the glimpse of paradise faded from her world, washing the heavens in a baby blue, she turned her attention back to the book in her lap: _How to Successfully Analyze, Understand, and React to Political Maneuvers with Influence From Outside Factors _by Abraxas Malfoy. She had received it in response to a letter she had written to Lucius Malfoy – possibly the most formal and polite letter that she had ever written – expressing her concern for her longtime friend and her loved ones, and asking if there was anything that he had that would help her understand and deal with the situation. She had been spending the past few days studying it in the hopes of somehow helping her friend when they went back to school – or at least help her understand it herself. Somehow, she doubted Liana would know too much about politics…

She had nearly started chapter five – To a Surrounded Enemy, You Must Leave a Way of Escape* – when the silhouette of a large barn owl was seen in the distance. It swooped down beside her and relieved its burden before hopping over to the nearby waterhole, weary after its journey.

The muggleborn cautiously picked up the large package. It was about the size of a large sheet cake and had several letters tied to the top with brown twine. "To Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys" was printed on neatly in a slanted hand. She recognized it as the handwriting that Liana's father had forced her to learn and practice the summer before. She had asked him to look over one of her assignments, and while he did confirm that the information was correct and the essay was well-written, he had been much less satisfied with her handwriting. He had spent the rest of the summer teaching her how to write with a quill, both English and Japanese calligraphy, and how to write basic Japanese characters with a traditional brush.

Anxious to see what had happened to the girl whom she considered to be her closest friend, she quickly detached the letter that was addressed to her.

A glance at to the east told her that it was barely after sunrise – far too early for most Weasleys to be awake. Telling herself that she would bring the rest inside as soon as she read the missive, she hastily opened the scroll and started reading.

_"Dear Hermione,_

_To start with, we're all fine, don't worry. Yoruichi took Sirius, Draco, and me to the local Wizarding shopping center (It's a big mall. Can you believe it? A mall in the wizarding world!) and basically let us run free. Yoruichi gave me more money than I could ever possibly use in one day and we bought half the products they had. I got the catalogs and books you asked for, but don't get too excited yet. Yoruichi got us all (you, me, my aunt Rukia, and herself) a laptop, a cellphone, _and_an iPod each! I'm still trying to figure out how to use them. It's been a while since I've been on a computer of any kind, much less the rest. We got some more stuff for you and the Weasleys. A _lot _of stuff. That's why the package is so big. We couldn't make it any smaller, even after shrinking the whole lot. Yoruichi said she was going to skype you at one - your time, I mean. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I'm hoping you do._

_Magical America (or New York, at least) is really different from Britain. I really couldn't tell that I was in somewhere magical – it's so much like the muggle world! The other shoppers kept scoffing at us when they saw Draco staring at everything. I guess Europe is too stuck to tradition. Father told me that Europe is a lot more traditional than most places in the world, and Rukia (she says not to call her Aunt...) says that in Japan, you have no way of knowing whether the person next to you on the tube is a wizard or a muggle._

_Draco seems to be taking the transition well, though. As soon as he got over the other shippers insulting him, he embraced the technology pretty quickly, though that may be because Yoruichi got him an iPod with the Weird Sisters on it._

_Looking forward to seeing you again, and, yes, I've started on my homework,_

_Liana_

The brunnette was nearly bouncing in excitement by the time she had finished. Her book was slammed shut and hefted onto the large package before she dragged both into the kitchen.

"Goodness, Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed when she ran in, a disturbingly large grin painted across her face. "What's the excitement?"

"Ohh! I wish I could tell you Mrs. Weasley," she said apologetically, "but I don't think I could resist the temptation if I did, and I want to wait until everyone's awake." She clutched the package to her chest and began pacing around the living room, continuing to do so for the next several hours.

Ron was surprised when he came downstairs and found his girlfr- er – _friend, _because he was _not _interested in snogging the smart muggleborn – frantically walking the ground floor over and over. The rest of his family didn't seemed to know what was wrong with her either and just watched her pace.

"Finally!" she exclaimed. Suddenly, she was beside him, a her hand clamped around his arm as she dragged him to the breakfast table that his mother had loaded with delicious foods of all kinds (was that french toast he smelled? Excellent!).

"Oy! Hermione! Gerroff!" he protested as the other redheads trailed after them, his siblings snickering behind their hands.

"Whipped," Fred muttered. He glared at him as Hermione finally relinquished her grip on his arm and set down the brown package she had been clinging to.

"So what's the fuss about, Oh Conqueror of the Mighty Ronald?" George asked cheekily, dropping into a seat and leaning the chair back on its back legs.

"We've gotten mail from Liana," she said excitedly, gesturing to the rectangular box.

Immediately, there was an uproar as all three Weasley boys scrambled to be the one to read the letter. Ginny, easily the most cunning of the brood, calmly waited for her brothers to finish fighting before plucking it out of the air and opening it herself.

"Gin-Gin!" The twins chorused. "That's not fair!"

"All's fair in love and war, brother dearest," she said sweetly.

Ignoring their pouts, she opened it and starting reading aloud, doing her very best imitation of her friend's voice. "Dear Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." Movement in airy kitchen stopped as they all paused to listen to the letter. "I hope you're all doing well. We're all fine on this end. Yoruichi took us to the shopping district. It's so _different _from Diagon Alley! You'd love it, Mr. Weasley, it's everything you could ever dream of. I sent along some stuff I thought everyone would like and some muggle technology that the Americans somehow charmed to work around magic. You can use it to floo call, or so I'm told. Hermione should how to do it.

Sorry to make this so short. Father wants me to do my homework.

Wishing I could see you all,

Liana"

Once again, there was a mad dash for the post that Hermione had guarded so carefully that morning. The muggleborn squeaked and hurried to get the fragile technology out of the way of the rampaging Weasleys, inadvertently joining the fray.

After much shrieking, fighting, and wand waving, every Weasley (and Hermione) had his or her own pile of gifts in front of them.

"Wicked!" Ron said happily, holding up the miniature quidditch pitch he had received. Noises of agreements were heard from the rest of the room.

Hermione wasn't paying attention to the redheads at all. She had found the books, electronics, and other little tidbits that her friend had sent her and was currently testing out her new (purple! She had never seen one in such a color) laptop**.

"We can all see what Liana has sent later," Mrs. Weasley said impatiently. "Breakfast is getting cold!"

That had an almost immediate effect as the group quickly forgot about their gifts and focused on their food instead. The muggleborn laughed at how preoccupied the Weasley Clan could get at the mention of nourishment.

"So wha' 'bout tha' f'oo f'ing, He'mione?" Ron asked through a mouthful of eggs.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't talk with your mouth full, Ronald," she scolded, his mother looking on proudly from where she was serving up more pancakes. "And I already read my letter from Liana. Yoruichi will send a transmission through at one."

Ignoring the word 'transmission' (as he didn't really see what that had to do with the floo), he shrugged and continued to eat, wondering how his friend was doing in such a faraway land.

The next several hours went by quickly as each member of the household admired their souvenirs. Hermione was on a rapid e-mail conversation with her parents, all three of them exclaiming about how wonderful it was that they found a way to communicate more easily in the Wizarding World. Immediately after lunch, the large group found themselves in the living room, trying to position themselves to Hermione's liking so that the camera would be able to get a shot of all of them at the same time.

At one o'clock exactly, the Weasleys watched as the resident muggleborn fiddled with the laptop's many buttons before the screen changed, showing Yoruichi's beaming face.

"Ha! Told you it'd work, Sirius!" she crowed happily. There was the sound of awed muttering in the background. "Hello, Hermione!"

"Yoruichi!" The purple haired woman backed away from the screen, revealing the large, elegant room she was in.

"Hold on – _stop that, _Ronald, they can see you just fine! – alright, sorry." She moved away as well, sitting on the edge of the three-person couch.

"Hey, everyone!" Liana said cheerfully.

"Liana!"

"How are you, dear?"

"Thanks for the gifts, they're bloody – "

"Those gloves are _wonderful!_How did – "

"Another contribution to the shop! Our greatest investor – "

Hermione sighed in exasperation as they all started chattering at once. Never let it be said that the Weasley brood wouldn't talk your ear off if given half a chance.

"Can't you all _talk one at a time?"_The distinctive drawl of a Malfoy reached their ears, and they suddenly realized that he, Liana's father, and Sirius were there as well. The blond was currently giving them an annoyed glare.

Ron scowled back, his mood suddenly worsened. "Shove off, Malfoy."

He sneered. "Make me, _Weasley."_

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Molly scolded. "You do _not _speak that way to someone when all they've done is ask you to be more polite!"

His ears burned red. "But, Mum!" he protested. "That's hardly the only thing he's ever done to us – "

His complaints fell on deaf ears as she rounded on her husband. "I _told _you that that rivalry you had with Lucius Malfoy would affect the children! I _told_you that it would have consequences! Now look what you've done, Arthur Weasley – you've started a blood feud!"

He shrunk back in his seat. "I'm sorry dear," he said in a small voice. "I'll – I'll speak to Lucius the next time I see him at work…"

"Too right, you will!" she huffed, sitting back down. A kind, sweet smile appeared on her face as she returned to the muggle device. "What were you saying, dear?"

Liana was unfazed, used to Mrs. Weasley's domineering personality suddenly give way to her softer side. Her father merely raised an eyebrow while Yoruichi and Sirius snickered. Draco was just confused as Ron's ears burned brighter.

"Well, Mrs. Weasley, the only thing I'd said was 'hey' before your lot interrupted," she chuckled, "but like I said, we're all doing fine."

"I'll say," Ron said enviously. "You've found another bloody mansion to live in, Liana!"

Byakuya sighed. "This property has been in our families since shortly before I was born, Mr Weasley. We did not "find" it. My grandfather purchased it with Yoruichi's father back when America was still a British colony."

Yoruichi snorted. "I'm pretty sure they were just taking advantage of the opportunity. The only reason they were in the States – or the Colonies, if you want to be historically accurate – at all was to chase down me and Sojun and drag us back to the Soul Society."

Liana stared at her. "You've _got_to tell me that story sometime," she said bluntly, Sirius nodding in agreement.

She winked at her. "Let's just say… your grandfather was the easiest person to blackmail. Unlike his son." She pouted at him.

He ignored it as a strange ringing sounded in the room.

Ron and Ginny exchanged smug glances as the rest of their family tried to find the source of the ringing.

"Eh… sorry, hold on a sec." Yoruichi pulled a phone out of her pants pocket and held it up to her ear. "Hello?… Oh! Thank you for calling me, I didn't think you'd do it personally… When?… _At the White House ? _Uhh… are you sure that's necessary?… Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize we caused _that _much chaos… Uh huh. Got it. Thank you!" She hung up, an excited look on her face.

They were now all staring at her, wondering what had happened and, more importantly, what the White House had to do with it.

"It was the President," she said breathlessly. "He scheduled the press conference. Ten in the morning, July 31st. At the White House."

~oOo~

As it turns out, the small skype session ended up being nothing more than making sure the other group was alright. Liana soon found herself in yet another whirlwind of preparation. Yoruichi and her father locked themselves in their room or study, working feverishly to make sure their plan would work. Her job was to study politics as much as she could before the conference – before her birthday, she thought bitterly.

_"Did you really think we would forget your birthday? That would be something those Dursleys would do. Not us."_

She frowned at the book in front of her and blew her hair out of her face. _"Who would want a freak like you?" _her uncle's voice sneered in her mind. _"Goodbye and good riddance. No one wants you."_

"That's not true," she said out loud, trying to convince herself, more than anything else. That summer had been wonderful. Her father had taken her to the Soul Society and then to America. She had learned so much about her family, just by living in the same house that her ancestors had lived in for centuries. The attacks had been awful, but it hadn't changed much. Or so she had thought. She pushed herself away from the, table telling herself that the stinging in her eyes was from staring at books for too long. That she wasn't upset with what she had _known _was coming.

She hated politics – they were slowly but systematically destroying the bond that both she and her father had been carefully nurturing for the past two years.

She decided to take a walk in the sprawling garden to try to calm down – or at least be somewhere where it was doubtful that anyone would hear her. Somehow, she managed to make her way out of the manor house without running into anyone. She was all too aware that her father could probably sense her leaving, but she didn't care. She wasn't trying to sneak out – she just didn't want to see anyone.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. As she wandered the twisting path that ran through the sprawling garden, she found her fiancé reading on one of the benches.

Draco glanced up idly as he heard someone approach, expecting it to be a servant who had come to offer some tea or biscuits. His attention was grasped more thoroughly when he realized it was his betrothed, tears running silently down her cheeks in thick, silvery rivers.

"Liana?" He set the Potions book down next to him and rose to greet her. "What's wrong? You're crying…"

She shook her head. She didn't want to see him, nor did she want to talk to him. She knew that she was being selfish. Her father was working hard to save the lives of countless men, and she was crying because he didn't spend time with her. She could survive without it. She had for fourteen years, after all. "Nothing, Draco," she muttered hastily, wiping the liquid off of her cheeks (they were _not _tears!). She gasped in surprise when he took her wrist and pulled her to him. She blushed and started struggling, but he already had his arms wrapped firmly around her, effectively trapping her.

"It isn't nothing," he said firmly. "You're crying. That can never be nothing."

"It's nothing!" She choked on her own words but tried to push on anyway, willing her Gryffindor courage to support her. "Just… just leave me alone."

"I won't leave you alone," he said, tightening his grip when she tried to wrench away. Slowly, he led her to the bench he had been reading on before sitting her in his lap. Driven by bravery that rarely graced him, the Malfoy heir held her close to him, hugging her to his chest. "I care about you, Liana, and we're going to be married in a year. I don't want for there to be any secrets between us. Please tell me what's wrong."

She sniffled and leaned against him.

"It's nothing," she insisted once again. She winced when she realized how weak her voice sounded. "Really. I… I'll be fine."

"I know you will," he soothed, "but I want to help you. Please?"

She bit her lip. "Father keeps saying that I need to study… that it's important that the press conference goes perfectly."

"Well, of course," he said, slightly puzzled. "It determines what we do after this and how much help we get."

"But what he keeps forgetting is that the press conference is on my _birthday!_" she cried out.

The blond winced. "I suppose that's would be pretty upsetting," he said slowly, "but I'm sure he has his reasons. Your father has never really forgotten anything before… actually, I'm starting to wonder if he _can _forget at all…" He trailed off when she buried her head into his chest, giving a muffled sob. If he hadn't forgotten and was purposely ignoring it…

"That's not what I meant!" he said hastily. "I'm sure he didn't forget. He's probably planning some kind of surprise." Lord Kuchiki didn't really seem like the kind of person to go out of his way to plan a surprise birthday celebration, but he had done it before.

"But what if he doesn't?" she whispered. "What then?"

He sighed. "Liana, I think you're blowing it out of proportion, but if you insist on pushing it… He's a busy man. I know that he's been there almost constantly over the past two years, but he has responsibilities of his own. He can't always be there." He hesitated slightly before continuing. "My father was in France on my fifth birthday," he admitted. His fiancée blinked a few tears out of her eyes and stared at him. "I was so mad when I found out he wasn't there for my birthday. I actually didn't talk to him for a few days when he got back. Then Mothertook me aside and told me that he was gone to make sure our family would be okay. Life as the head of family isn't easy, she said, and he wouldn't always be there, but I had to understand that he did it for me. So I could be happy when I grew up."

"I _know_that," she said frustratedly. "I _know_that he's thinking about the future… but I just wish that he'd stop and think about _me_." She gave a harsh, bitter laugh. Draco winced as the shrill sound reached his ears, tightening his grip and resting his chin on her head. "I'm being so bloody _awful_," she spat. "Look at me… my father's trying to save the lives of the men who'd sacrifice everything for him, and here I am, throwing a tantrum like a brat who's been refused candy." She sniffed again. "I don't know what's wrong with me… I can't believe I'm acting like such a bloody dolt, but I can't help it!"

"The horrors of hormones, wouldn't you say?" He gave her a soft smile. He was all too aware of how horrible they could be, especially now. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to sit her on his lap… He cleared his throat and banished the thought from his mind. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. "Look, just calm down, okay? Calm down, relax… enjoy life."

"There's a problem with that," she muttered, looking down. "I'm not entirely sure if – if I really know how… I've always been rushing to do _something_. I've never really slowed down or stopped."

"Then why don't I show you?" he breathed next to her ear. She blushed and shuddered as his breath brushed against the sensitive skin.

She glanced up at him, admiring the way the light reflected off of his hair, and how his blue-gray eyes sparkled as a lazy grin spread on his face. "I'd like that."

~oOo~

The two teens eventually made their way back inside, lips swollen and hair mussed after their afternoon entertainment. Draco's 'lesson' had gone a bit farther than he had intended, but neither of them particularly minded. They stopped briefly in front of one of the decorative mirrors that hung in the hallway, attempting to make themselves look slightly more presentable. Sirius grinned wolfishly when they walked into the dining room for dinner, lips red and swollen as a bright flush was fading from both of their lightly tanned cheeks.

"Have a nice snog, did you?" he asked teasingly.

Liana blushed as Draco snorted. "I don't think that's any of your business, _Uncle_Sirius," he sneered lightheartedly, stretching the familial term in slight sarcasm. Rukia chuckled from where she was seated, her chin held up by her interlocked fingers.

"Just make sure you have a few good hiding places where Nii-sama won't find you," she advised. Sirius nodded vigorously in agreement as they sat down.

"Y'know, I think I saw him earlier," he said thoughtfully. "He was practically running out to the car. I wonder what happened? That bloke rarely comes out of his room these days…"

"I'll tell you." Their attention shifted to the doorway, where Yoruichi was standing. She smirked. "His love life has suddenly taken flight again."

"What?" Rukia gaped. Liana felt her eyes widened. She had never seen him show any romantic interest towards any woman. Why would that have changed? Her hand strayed towards the golden locket that she always had on her. Was he trying to replace her mother?

"It isn't like that," she hastened to reassure when she saw the two Kuchikis' reactions. She sighed loudly, wondering how to explain. "Hisana Kuchiki supposedly died _fifty-two years ago_. It's only been about _seventeen_since she left Liana at the Potters'. Have you ever thought about what that meant?" She was met with a round of shaking heads.

She rolled her eyes. "It means that _Hisana never died_. My old friend, Kisuke Urahara, has always been keeping an eye on what happened in Seireitei, specifically the Kuchiki family, per my request. I knew Byakuya got married, and I knew his wife was a commoner. When she died, he thought something was wrong. He looked over the data several times, and he even managed to get a blood sample that was taken during her 'illness'. Eventually, he managed to discover that the Kuchiki Elders had threatened her when she and Byakuya first got married. They wrote a contract and forced her to sign it. It stated that if she ever got pregnant, she would leave. She wouldn't tell Byakuya that she was pregnant. They gave her a drug that would make it seem like she was dying. It would actually make it look like she _was _dead for a few days. Then, they chased her out of the Soul Society."

Liana swayed in her seat at the information. Three years ago, she never would have imagined this. Not only was her father alive, but her mother was too.

"What happened then?" her aunt asked hoarsely after a tense silence. "What happened to Nee-sama after she left the Soul Society?"

Yoruichi waited until she was sure that they wouldn't faint before continuing. "As far as Kisuke could tell, she lived as a spirit for several years. She didn't have much reiatsu, so she didn't need to eat. Pregnancy works differently with souls who don't have reiatsu. Instead of taking nine months, like it would with humans or souls with reiatsu, it takes anywhere from three years to approximately a century." Rukia winced. "She took the time to look up what had happened to her family." The purple haired woman moved next to the petite lieutenant, ready to steady her if she lost the ability to support herself. "She found Lily Potter and Petunia Dursley. It looks like she watched Petunia for a few days and decided that she didn't like what she saw, so she went to Lily. She told her her story and begged her to help. They had discovered that James hada rare disease in pureblood families that rendersa man infertile, so they were happy to help. Hisana stayed there for a few weeks, and then she gave birth."

Draco stood up and wrapped his arms around his fiancée, offering his silent support. Liana turned and buried her face in his chest, stunned by her mother's story.

"Liana was still born on July 31st, and James and Lily filed the paper adoption that very day. For a while, we didn't know what happened to Hisana." Rukia stiffened, gripping the table so tight her knuckles turned white. "The day we picked up Liana from Privet Drive, I told Byakuya about this and gave him all the information I had. He's been investigating it in his spare time ever since, and he told me that he was close to finding her a few weeks ago. That's why we've been so busy. I've been organizing the details for the press conference and Byakuya… Byakuya's been searching for his wife."

"Merlin's beard," Liana moaned, clinging to Draco for support. "Merlin's bloody snow white beard."

"Nee-sama… is alive?" Rukia asked in stunned disbelief. "My sister… she's alive?"

"Alive and well," Yoruichi confirmed. "You two don't look well. Maybe you ought to go take a nap."

"Come on, Liana," Draco murmured, carefully helping her out of her chair. "You'll feel better after a nice, long sleep."

She merely buried her head into his chest again. She seemed to be doing that an awful lot today, she idly thought. Sleep sounded nice. A few hours of dark, peaceful, uninterrupted sleep to give her frozen mind a chance to regroup.

Yoruichi sighed when she found herself alone, save for Sirius, who was still blinking out the confusion. "Well," she said wryly, "that went well." She glanced around at the nearly empty dining room. So much for dinner.

~oOo~

It wasn't until several hours after dark when the Kuchiki lord finally returned, tired but happy as he led his beloved wife into the colossal manor house. Doe-like eyes the color of amethyst darted around the entry hall, nervousness rolling off of her in trembling waves as she took in the darkened hall. Unseen lighting turned on the moment they stepped inside, and she could better take in the shining, exquisite grandeur of the hall, so typical of the Kuchiki family. Gentle hands pushed the coat off of her shoulders before handing them to an invisible servant with a murmured word and a quiet pop.

Her husband's hand grasped hers, and she turned to him, staring into pools of melted silver on a handsome, aristocratic face that looked just as youthful as it had all those years ago. His hair was still long – for it was a sin, declared by Confucius, to cut one's hair and damage one's body, a gift from one's parents – but it was shorter at the front, chin-length strands framing his angular face before stretching into long locks in the back. She could smell him at that short distance – the sweet scent of sakura petals clinging to him, homage to the other half of his soul – and could clearly imagine the skin and contours of his body under his clothing, so perfect that she sometimes wondered if the Kuchikis had mixed their blood with that of the Greek god Adonis.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concern obvious in his lovely, deep voice. Oh, how she had missed the sound of his voice! Fifty-two years had passed since she had heard his voice. Fifty-two years since she had deceived him. Since both of their hearts had broken in concert. She shivered as the memory washed over her.

"_I'm sorry I couldn't repay the love that you gave me."_

She flinched when he raised his hand to caress her cheek, his long fingers warm against her chilled skin. Her eyes focused, jerking away from days long past and settling on her husband.

"Are you alright?" he repeated softly. The bright light illuminated his face, outlining every line and contour on his well-bred, aristocratic features.

"I-I'm fine, Byakuya-sama," she murmured. A thought occurred to her, and her heart nearly stopped, stilling painfully as her lungs refused to take in air. "My sister – Byakuya-sama, what happened to my sister!"

"She's fine," he soothed. "She's upstairs, sleeping. I found her the year after you left. She isn't the only one who I have found." He had been leading her through the house as they spoke, and they were now standing in front of a bookshelf. She picked up a thick photo album and wrapped his arms around her, opening it in front of her. She felt her breath hitch as she was suddenly staring at moving pictures of a young girl with long black hair and sparkling green eyes. Eyes that she recognized from a bittersweet night, almost seventeen years ago in a small cottage that sat in the center of a picturesque town. "I've found our daughter as well."

With shaking hands, she took the album and started to turn the pages, giving them the same gentle touch with which one might handle a baby bird. There she was, a young teen laughing and smiling with two others – a boy and a girl. She was playing Quidditch, a sport she recalled from long, spirited conversations with the now late James Potter. Another, she was smiling sweetly as she walked down the halls of a stone castle, dressed in an emerald dress made of a fine material with a handsome blond at her side. She flipped through key points of her daughter's life, watching as she grew from a small, but lively child into a beautiful, confident young woman.

"She's beautiful," she whispered. Guilt rose from inside her when she realized that she had abandoned not one, but two infants, forcing obstacles onto the path of two beautiful souls who had the potential to become healthy, happy, and successful. She buried her head in her hands as her heart wrenched painfully. "I'm such a horrible person."

Her husband's arms tightened around her. "You are _not," _he said fiercely. "You did what any sane person would do. No, you did more. You left our daughter in a home that would love and care for her. You are the most wonderful person I know, Hisana."

His words did nothing to assuage her guilt. If anything, it made it double, weighing down on her for having tricked him into thinking that she was a good person, into believing that she was dead. "I'm horrible," she repeated.

"You are wonderful," her husband argued. "Your life was in danger, Hisana. You did what you had to. I know men who would have sold their relatives into slavery rather than keep going the way you did." His voice softened. "It's late. We can continue talking in the morning, yes?"

She nodded slowly and allowed him to lead her through the large, richly decorated corridors. Numbly, she felt his hand take her arm and guide her steps as the shock and guilt warred with each other inside of her. A sense of déjà vu overtook her as he took her around his extravagant home for the second time.

* * *

*Taken from Sun Tzu's _The Art of War_

**I actually drew a picture of Hermione using her laptop in Gryffindor Tower. It's not much, but there's a link to my deviantArt account on my profile (I also drew other random scenes from LK and YP that are on there).

Review!


	8. Mother Dear

**I do not own anything**

**I am a shameless Byahisa fan. But I think you already know that.**

**Tomorrow, I'm going to a Law and Trial Conference held at Stanford for ten days. I'm already exhausted.**

* * *

Liana woke up early the next morning. Having gone to bed far earlier than when most teenagers her age would have, she had rested for too long to stay in bed much longer. She glanced at the rich colored clock hanging from the wall, roman numerals clear on its decorated surface. 6.14. Definitely too early for a sixteen-year-old to be awake during summer holidays.

She took her time getting ready for the day, taking a long shower before piling her hair into a high ponytail. Half an hour had passed by the time she stepped out of her room, clad in a red tank top and tan khakis. The corridor seemed eerily silent, like a great monster who was just beginning to come out of its slumber. She could hear the birds and fountains outside, peaceful sounds that helped her insides settle into a calm contentedness.

She took advantage of the opportunity, dawdling in the hallways and enjoying the beauty of silence. That silence was broken when she neared the parlor. She could hear voices, hushed yet overflowing with emotion. One, a deep bass, she easily recognized as her father's. The other was soft and light, a feminine ring echoing in the words of a foreign tongue that she had studied but not yet spoken.

"I abandoned them both, Byakuya-sama," the stranger spoke, a woeful note like a mourning swallow's low but sweet tune. "What could they possibly want with me?"

"You are some of the only blood that they can still claim," her father said gently, a dash of exasperation dipped in his words. "They want to meet you. For a month after I told her, Rukia would take every opportunity that she could to ask me about you, and I've seen Liana spend hours looking at her locket**, where she keeps a picture of you."

Liana froze as she suddenly recalled _why _she had gone to bed so early. Her mother… They had found her mother! Something in her chest began to bubble and churn, much like Goyle's cauldron when he had attempted to make Polyjuice Potion the year before. Excitement mixed with nervousness and fear as her breath began coming out in short gasps. After a life of longing for her mother, her wish was finally granted. She loved her father, of course, and was delighted when she discovered that she wasn't an orphan after all, but his presence had sometimes made her ache for her mother that much more painful. But what if it wasn't true? Her mother – that is, the woman who was sitting with her father – was obviously reluctant to meet her. Despite her efforts, there was a snide little voice in the back of her mind that sounded awfully like her Uncle Vernon.

"_Of course she wouldn't want you," _it whispered. "_No one wants a freak like you. Don't forget that she's the one who dumped you with the Potters – the one who abandoned you and your freakishness."_

She wasn't sure when it was she stumbled, nor did she know when she hit the floor. All she knew was that, suddenly, the sound of footfalls were heard and she was staring blankly into her father's eyes. She blinked slowly, trying to understand what had happened. Her father was crouching beside her, his left arm supporting her back as his other hand gently checked for bumps or bruises. Slightly behind her stood a woman, and Liana took a moment to stare at her.

The resemblance to her aunt was astounding. The same eyes, the same face, the same build, the same hair – the seemed the only differences were her longer eyelashes, gentler eyes, frayed lock, and soft mouth. She didn't seem to have the same courage that her aunt had, nor the temper or outspokenness. She seemed to be a petite, frail thing that held great resemblance to a lone flower standing in a storm.

Her pale, slight hands were clapped over her mouth, and her jewel-like, slightly watering eyes stared at her in shocked anxiety. The two women stared at one another, drinking in the other's features and relishing, yet fearing, their presence.

The Kuchiki lord's voice snapped them out of their trance. "What happened, child? It isn't like you to fall in the middle of the hallway."

"I – I – " She couldn't bring herself to speak. Even if she did, what would she say? She fell silent, unable to tear her gaze away from the woman.

Her father glanced behind him, and seemed to understand her sudden loss of voice. "Perhaps we should go back into the sitting room," he said softly. "Can you stand, Liana?" When she shook her head no, he carefully helped her to her feet. He slowly guided her into the room, her numb body leaning heavily against him for support. The woman trailed quietly after them, seeming to be nervous and afraid. Liana puzzled over why. It couldn't possibly be her, could it?

She sank into the plushy chair she was placed on. Her father turned and shut the door with and audible _click!_Something ominous settled in her mind, as if the small sound sealed her fate to something horrible.

"Yoruichi told me that she told you about the situation, correct?" her father asked gently.

"Yes," she said, a bit hoarsely. "She – she told us last night… So it's true? That you've been looking for…" She stopped, unable to think of any words that would properly sum up the situation. She watched as her father moved to stand next to the petite woman, taking her hand in a loving gesture and pulling her closer.

"Use your eyes, child. Look at what's in front of you," he said softly, giving the woman – _no_, her _mother_ – a heartfelt look. "If anything, the Wizarding World should have taught you that anything is possible."

Liana's eyes widened as her gaze snapped to her mother (how odd it was to use that word in reference to a _person _rather than a picture…). She felt her eyes start to water suspiciously, but barely paid attention to it. "You're my – my mother?" The woman flinched at the word.

"Please," she said, "please, don't call me Mother. I – I don't deserve to be called anyone's mother, nor sister, nor wife…"

"Well what else would I call you?" she asked in confusion. "You're my mother. Should I call you Mum?" She cringed further and Liana felt anxiety seep into her mind. What was she doing wrong? In a small voice, she blurted out her fear, unable to control herself. "Do you not – not want to be my mother?"

The woman's eyes widened. No. No, she didn't. Liana felt something inside her break. She broke eye contact, looking down at her suddenly shaking hands as she repressed the sobs that swelled like a balloon inside her. "Oh." Silently, she begged the tears in her eyes not to fall.

"That isn't it at all," her father said sharply. One of the things about his daughter he worried about the most was her past. One did not walk away from thirteen years of abuse unscathed, and he couldn't say that he was fully qualified to help her recover. It had been an unspoken agreement that Yoruichi, the one who better understood victims of maltreatment and people in general, would be the one to heal the broken child. Of course, Yoruichi wasn't in the room at the moment, so he would have to be the one to diffuse the situation. He sighed and glanced at the clock. 7.03. "Go to sleep, Liana." He caught her gaze.

"Sleep," she mumbled. Suddenly, she was drowsy. Her father's eyes seemed to brighten as flower petals floated across her vision, glowing dramatically. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy and she leaned back against the chair, curling up against the fluffy material as sleep retook her mind*.

Hisana watched silently, anxiety and fear doubling up inside her. "Byakuya-sama, what-"

"She's delicate, Hisana," he said abruptly. His voice was soft, measured as he turned to face his wife. His face was deadly serious. "The child grew up neglected and unloved. I told you how much time she spent looking at that locket. Her friends tell me that her prized possession was a photo album full of pictures of the Potters that her school's groundskeeper gave her. She's only been in my care for a few years, and she still has a few relapses. I know that you feel guilty about leaving her with the Potters in the first place, but she _needs _you, Hisana."

"I don't understand…" she whispered. "Why would she have – have grown up neglected? The Potters promised me – they _swore _to me that they would raise her as their own!"

Her husband frowned, pausing to come up with a suitable response. "Lily and James Potter are dead," he eventually said. "They were murdered. Liana spent her childhood in the care of Petunia Dursley, their sister-in-law." He paused again, softening as he took in his wife's pale and shaking form. "But that is in the past," he said slowly. "We have a chance to reverse the damage that they did to her. But she needs both of us to do it."

Brilliant amethyst orbs met his own silver gaze, nervousness floating in their depths before giving way to determination. A mother's love was never to be questioned, he mused briefly. Liana would have yet one more protector who was determined to make sure that she never suffered again. Hisana's normally small and quiet demeanor quickly disappeared. And, he thought, this mother in particular would do anything for her child. "Yes," she quietly agreed. "She does."

He smiled and embraced her again before gently scooping up their daughter. "I will bring her back to bed. The others shouldn't wake up for another half hour or so." He turned to face her and gave a soft smile. "We have a few guests coming at eight. It should be interesting."

She smiled at her husband's words. "I'm will go back to our room, Byakuya-sama."

"Breakfast is at eight thirty." A hint of mirth colored his voice as he turned back towards the door. He cradled his daughter's prone form in his arms as he walked through the halls and towards her bedroom. He carefully set her down on her bed, moving her so that she was resting in a comfortable position. He glanced around the room. Everything was neat and orderly, a sign that the house elves had popped in sometime after she had left. While Liana could be neat to the point of perfection at times, she tended to be a bit messy after just waking up. It didn't particularly bother him. They had servants to pick up after her if she didn't feel so inclined.

The Kuchiki lord closed his eyes, relishing in the small peace of the sleepy morning. He was so rarely allowed the opportunity to simply enjoy the gift of life. The privilege of having time for himself was something that he had not had since before the Winter War, and he hoped to have more of it when his life finally settled down. His gaze fell upon his daughter, watching the slow rise and falls of her chest as she slept on, oblivious to the world. No matter how many times he watched her, even now, he could scarcely believe that this child, this wonderful, beautiful child who was so selfless and good, was something that he had helped create.

Ten years ago, he would have thought such awe and attachment to be a weakness. It was amazing the difference an single teenager could make, even without trying.

If anything, Dumbledore was right about one thing. Love was the strongest magic there was.

~oOo~

Liana woke up to someone gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes pried open to see a young maid with inky black hair and a soft expression nudging her awake. "M'lady… It's time to get up, milady…"

She yawned and pushed herself into a sitting position. The maid backed away as she stretched. She blinked a few times as her mind slowly became more alert, and furrowed her brow when she realized that she was already dressed. Her gaze drifted down to her locket, and her heart froze as the memories from that very morning rushed to the forefront of her mind.

"Lord Byakuya requests for you to come to his study as soon as you are presentable, my lady," the maid said quietly. "He wishes to speak to you about your mother."

Liana flinched and groaned, wishing she hadn't woken up. She really didn't want to have that particular discussion – she already knew what it would inevitably lead to. Her mother didn't want her. At the servant's insistence, she straightened up her hair and clothing before being shuffled in the direction of her father's study.

A dazed part of her mind that was completely unbothered by her emotional upheaval noted that it was the first time she would see his study, or at least this particular one. Her chest twisted and beat at itself, pushing her heart into her throat as her mouth dried. She could feel her heartbeat resonating from near her collarbone as she got closer and closer to her destination. Desperately, she wished that she was asleep, that this wasn't real and was just a dream.

It seemed far too soon before she approached the door, mahogany and richly engraved like the rest of the doors on the property. Her heart, still lodged in her throat, gave an almighty lurch as she stood in front of it, fear and anxiety freezing her muscles in place and leaving her with the ability to do nothing but stare at the dark wood. Slowly, she raised her hand, shaking, and rapped on the door.

"Come in." For the umpteenth time, her heart gave an almighty lurch as she struggled to gather her Gryffindor courage. Hesitantly, she turned the knob and nudged the door open. It was a large study, about the size of Privet Drive's living rooms. Shelves lined the walls, all filled to the brim with official looking books. Two large French windows stood proudly in the middle of the wall opposite the door, allowing sunlight to stream in. Shiny boards of oak made up the floor, polished and waxed and sanded until one wouldn't be able to tell the difference between one board and the next by feel alone, and a rich Persian rug lay on top of that. A fireplace was in the far corner, untouched, and even more book were lined up on the mantle. The desk was made of a sturdy cherry, and looked to have several drawers and compartments organized neatly inside. A simple lamp stood on one corner, to be used when daylight became too thin to read the tiny script that she was sure lay on it every day, though there wasn't any just then. An expensive looking pen of muggle design was on the left side of the desk, with a quill and inkwell right next to it and a brush and rectangular container of ink on its other side. In front of the desk sat two chairs, cushioned and angled to face the center of the desk.

She slowly entered the room, feeling strangely numb – as if she had been plunged deep into water and was seeing through a thick, unfeeling layer. He gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, and she sank stiffly into one of them.

He didn't speak immediately, taking in her stiff posture and clammy hands. Her eyes darted around, looking anywhere but at him as she started fidgeting. It seemed to be a century before he finally spoke. "How do you feel about your mother being here?" His words were slow, deliberate, as if he was weighing each one before uttering it.

"I'm glad she's here," she said blandly, her tongue rough like sandpaper and suddenly dry and sticky. There. The answer was simple, noncommittal, politely impersonal, and revealed nothing. She repressed a shudder as his gaze suddenly sharpened, penetrating into the depths of her being. It made her wonder if he was using Legilimency on her, and her gaze immediately flickered down to the heart shaped locket that was dangling from her neck. Yoruichi had said that it had selective Occlumency barriers built into it. Maybe it was time that she adjusted it …

"I see." He paused, pushing his chair back and walking over to one of the bookshelves. His voice became quieter, softening drastically as his eyes raked over the books before picking one up. "She did not mean to make it seem as if she doesn't – or didn't – want you, Liana."

She frowned, doubt flooding into her mind. If not that, then what would it have been? Why else would she refuse to be called "Mother"?

Apparently, her disbelief showed on her face, as he continued. "Your mother is very… prone to guilt. She felt guilty because she left you with the Potters rather than raising you herself."

"Well, why didn't she?" she snapped, grief and disbelief making her surly and reckless. "She was fully capable of it! If she hadn't _abandoned _me, I wouldn't have had to live with the Dursleys – I wouldn't have – have – " She choked. The air had suddenly gotten unbearably thick, seeming to weigh down and suffocate her. Her father was suddenly in front of her, his startlingly dark eyes piercing her own as the book he had been holding was slammed onto his desk behind him.

"Do _not _interrupt me. I will _not _have my daughter disrespect her own mother in such a way." His voice was soft again, but not in the tender way it had been before. It was quiet, but dangerous, and very similar to the way Professor Snape spoke when he wanted to _scare _his students. He leaned in towards her, gripping the armrests tightly as she ducked and tried to make herself smaller. "You will not speak so callously of the woman who is responsible for your life without even bothering to understand her. I would have thought that you would understand that after your fifth year***."

She shrunk back in her seat, unused to seeing him so angry. "Yes, Father." It wasn't until then that she noticed the slight hoarseness in his voice and the bags beneath his eyes. His face was gaunter, paler than it had been, and she could see the exhaustion in his eyes if she focused enough. Her gaze flickered downwards in shame. How could she have forgotten the pressure that he was under? She knew that he had enough to do as it was, between his usual duties and trying to rally enough support to save his people. "I'm sorry."

He gave her another fierce look of warning before straightening up again. "I do not want for you to push away your mother, Liana. She has been through far too much, just like everyone else in this family…" He trailed off, clearly lost in troubled memories as his mouth flickered downwards in a frown. She fidgeted in the empty silence before he came back to awareness, closing his eyes as if trying to banish whatever thoughts he had had away from his mind. "Your mother has been forced into making many decisions that still haunt her today. Twice, she has had to decide whether to kill both herself and an innocent child, or to abandon that child so they both may survive. Do you remember that article – the one that Rita Skeeter wrote?"

She nodded. It had suggested that her parents had married out of pity, and had revealed many details about her life and upbringing that she much preferred to be left alone.

"The Kuchiki family is a family that is very centered on tradition. Our duty is to keep records on both the Soul Society and the World of the Living." His eyes closed again and he gestured to the many bookshelves surviving them. "It is a very tedious role, and requires a full understanding of history and traditions from all over the world. As a result, the Kuchiki Clan is very centered around tradition." His gaze returned to the book that he had slammed onto the desk. "The family protested greatly when I announced that I was engaged to your mother. It was against tradition, they said, and would dishonor our name. How could the only direct heir of our clan be so foolish as to marry not only a commoner, but a girl from the most poverty stricken parts of the Soul Society? They didn't understand how I cared for your mother, but that didn't stop them from trying to separate us."

He started pacing, and Liana wondered if she had ever seen so much emotion coming from her father before this. "When they realized that they couldn't convince me to leave her, they turned to other methods. They began sending assassins after her." Her eyes widened and her body jerked of its own accord. Assassins? They had tried to _kill _her mother? "It got to the point where I had to hire a guard force to protect her when I was too busy. Then, she became pregnant. I didn't know at the time why the assassination attempts stopped, and I let my guard down." There was something dark in his voice. "She was forced to make it seem as if she had died, in order to protect her only child from her own family." There was a tense pause as he turned. His eyes locked with hers. "It wasn't the first time she had to make such a decision."

Liana's insides clenched and twisted, jerking violently as her mind whirred to try to comprehend the trauma of _assassination _attempts and then being forced to make such a horrible decision not once, but twice. Her emerald gaze lowered and her hands started twisted together. Her earlier words echoed in her mind, and guilt overwhelmed her like a tsunami raging against a small canoe.

"I've already told you that marrying your mother was the best choice I ever made." His tone had softened again, gentle and heartfelt yet not obtaining the levity it did in the rare moment when he showed the extent of his concern for her. His pacing slowed, stopping directly in front of her, and she found herself staring at smart, dark gray slacks and shiny black shoes. "Give her a chance, child."

She could barely hear herself over the buzzing that suddenly erupted in her eardrums. "Yes, Father."

"Breakfast should be starting soon." She was barely aware of standing up, much less of walking the expansive corridors towards the dining area. Her father glanced at her in mild concern as they turned the last corner and the sounds of a jubilant group of aristocrats reached their senses.

"Liana!" Draco grinned at her from where he was sitting, his silvery eyes glinting happily. The green eyed girl finally snapped out of her daze, double taking when she realized who his seat neighbors were.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?"

Mrs. Malfoy's warm blue eyes smiled down at her as she gestured her forward. "Liana, how wonderful it is to see you." She motioned the bewildered girl into the chair next to her son, directly opposite of where she and her husband were sitting. "And, please, dear, call us by our first names."

"Um… thank you?" She gave her an awkward smile before her eyes flickered to Draco, silently asking what was happening.

"We only got here a few minutes ago," she explained, "and we had the pleasure of meeting your mother! It's wonderful that you have found her, Lord Kuchiki."

He inclined his head from where he was sitting at the head of the table. His normally glacial features softened. "Thank you, Lady Malfoy." His gaze settled on where Rukia was talking to her, alternating between shy and enthusiastic. "It is truly a blessing to have her back."

The elder sister's eyes wandered in the midst of the lieutenant's chatter, eventually meeting with her husband's. She smiled softly, and they all watched as a similar expression appeared on his face, before returning her attention to her much younger sibling.

The black haired noble picked up his cutlery as the smells of a well-made breakfast wafted through the air. "I am thankful that I have been given so many new chances with my family." He caught his daughter's eye and gave her a meaningful look. "_Give her a chance."_

She hesitated, giving a surreptitious glance towards where the two sisters were beaming and laughing, making up for so many years without any bond. Her throat clenched as she was reminded of how many hours she had spent in her cupboard as a child, hoping and praying for a mother who would love her, no matter how bad or naughty or freakish she was. Her head dipped slightly. "_I will."_

* * *

***Hakufuku is a bakudo technique where the victim sees the illusion of purple cherry petals. Shortly thereafter, they lose consciousness.**

****Yoruichi gave Liana a locket in Liana Kuchiki. Inside were pictures of the Potters, Byakuya and Hisana. It also has Occlumency barriers built into it, but can only block out people it's been "programmed" against.**

*****The Prophet and Wizarding World as a whole slandered her without bothering to know the whole story.**


	9. The Conference

**I do not own anything**

**Sorry about the delay; I couldn't get a connection on my laptop until just now. That, and I really didn't feel like doing this yesterday because there was a fire alarm _at five in the morning. _As if all those lectures and case reading didn't leave me sleep deprived as it was.**

**Like I said a couple chapter ago, I didn't really have much else to give you. This is the last chapter to Yuri Potter. I know it ends really badly, but this is honestly all I could think of. If anyone wants to adopt this story and finish it, contact me and I'll send you the outline I have for the rest of it. I'll put the deleted scenes in next week.  
**

**As you're reading this, I'm at the Law and Trial Conference at Stanford. The mock trial is tomorrow and _I don't want to leave! _We're going home on Tuesday, and I really don't want to leave all the new friends I made.  
**

**But enough about me. Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy?"_

_Mrs. Malfoy's warm blue eyes smiled down at her as she gestured her forward. "Liana, how wonderful it is to see you." She motioned the bewildered girl into the chair next to her son, directly opposite of where she and her husband were sitting. "And, please, dear, call us by our first names."_

_"Um… thank you?" She gave her an awkward smile before her eyes flickered to Draco, silently asking what was happening._

_"We only got here a few minutes ago," she explained, "and we had the pleasure of meeting your mother! It's wonderful that you have found her, Lord Kuchiki."_

_He inclined his head from where he was sitting at the head of the table. His normally glacial features softened. "Thank you, Lady Malfoy." His gaze settled on where Rukia was talking to her, alternating between shy and enthusiastic. "It is truly a blessing to have her back."_

_The elder sister's eyes wandered in the midst of the lieutenant's chatter, eventually meeting with her husband's. She smiled softly, and they all watched as a similar expression appeared on his face, before returning her attention to her much younger sibling._

_The black haired noble picked up his cutlery as the smells of a well-made breakfast wafted through the air. "I am thankful that I have been given so many new chances with my family." He caught his daughter's eye and gave her a meaningful look. "Give her a chance."_

_She hesitated, giving a surreptitious glance towards where the two sisters were beaming and laughing, making up for so many years without any bond. Her throat clenched as she was reminded of how many hours she had spent in her cupboard as a child, hoping and praying for a mother who would love her, no matter how bad or naughty or freakish she was. Her head dipped slightly. "I will."_

* * *

As it turns out, the elder two Malfoys were there as ambassadors of Magical Britain. Liana had no doubt that Lucius had wormed his way into the position, as he did with so many other things. She couldn't decide if it was a bad thing that she admired his cunning, rather than loathed it as she would have only a few years ago. Draco seemed to be more content with his parents in the same house, and her mother and father seemed to enjoy their company. Sirius and Yoruichi, however, made it their mission to prank, tease, and annoy the blond patriarch on the grounds of "familial bonding."

Liana spent a lot of her time with her mother and aunt, as her father insisted that she needed instruction on her position as a Kuchiki heir, and that spending time with them would be the best thing to do while he and Yoruichi worked. It was a bit awkward at first. She had barely spoken to her aunt before that summer, and her only interaction with her mother had been the disastrous, impromptu explanation in the parlor. Thankfully, they managed to get past that barrier quickly enough.

She quickly learned to see her aunt as more of an older sister who had a strange love for rabbits, a violent temper, and no artistic skill (not that she told her that, of course). Her mother, on the other hand, seemed to be the complete opposite. She was calm, serene, and very gentle – the human embodiment of what Liana had believed a mother to be like when she was younger.

When they weren't trying to teach Liana how to be a proper noblewoman (how odd to think of herself as a _noblewoman_. Or her aunt, for that matter), the three told each other stories about their lives up until that point. Liana stared at her Rukia in awe when she described the poverty stricken streets that she had grown up on, or the dangers that she had so fearlessly faced as a shinigami. She told them of the rare moments of happiness that she had had at the Dursleys and her more memorable days at Hogwarts. Her mother seemed rather faint when hearing it all, and told them about her side of the family (though she didn't remember much, not after so many years) and how she had met and fallen in love with her husband. Liana found it hard to believe that they had met when her father had been trying to escape from his lessons, and then had sneaked out every week just to see her.

It wasn't long until she looked at the calender with a start and realized that her birthday was in only a week. And so was the press conference. Draco didn't comment when she started seeking him out more and more often, and the entire household seemed to be filled with tension and excitement. Everyone was nervous, no matter how well they hid it, about what the outcome would be. The two noble heads became more prone to snapping, and even Sirius was subdued. Where it had been common to hear the engaged couple cackling wildly as they fled through the halls and Lord Malfoy shouted angrily from the direction they had come from, the corridors were now eerily silent, save for the quiet tittering of the servants and the occasional house elf.

They went over the expected schedule over and over again until Liana could recite it in her sleep. Sirius thought that it was a bit excessive, but Yoruichi nearly bit his head off when he mentioned it. It wasn't odd to hear someone wandering the corridors at night. Nerves began running higher and higher as August approached.

Liana began spending most of her time with either Draco or her new laptop. The most complicated she knew how to do on it was send e-mails, but that was enough for her. Her typing speed began increasing dramatically as she spilled her concerns onto the draft before sending it to Hermione, knowing that the muggleborn would reply with an equally if not longer memo.

Her fiancé would watch curiously as her fingers tapped across the keys, noticing when they began quickening as she wrote more and more. Other times, he would just wrap his arms around her waist on a bench somewhere on the grounds, content to watch nature's interaction with itself, far from the chaos of preparations.

The tension seemed to reach its peak on the morning of the press conference. Liana could scarcely believe that the day she would come of age had come with such anxiety. The servants roused her at six in the morning and ushered her into the bathroom. She was a bit disturbed when they insisted on bathing her, but they managed to find a comfortable compromise that wasn't _too _embarrassing. Afterward, the two young maids dressed her in a pastel pink blazer and matching pencil skirt with a white blouse, white knee-length stockings, and brown loafers before putting her hair up in a simple half-ponytail. She was given a small white handbag that she found held her phone before being treated to a light layer of cosmetics.

After that, they rushed her to the dining room before disappearing. Liana was a bit dazed as she looked around the table. She was the last one to arrive, and the others were already serving themselves breakfast. The Malfoy entourage were all wearing formal robes that looked passably muggle – she guessed that Yoruichi had had a part in it – and Sirius was in a navy muggle suit that looked to be very uncomfortable. Her mother was wearing a blue version of the outfit Liana had donned, but with the Kuchiki Crest engraved on the buttons. Rukia was sporting a lavender summer dress and a white, long-sleeved cardigan, and her father had on a light gray business suit in a way that suggested that he had worn one before. What surprised her was Yoruichi. She was dressed in a formal kimono, down to every last bit, and had on a colorful haori with what she suspected to be the Shihoin Crest stamped on the back.

Once her inspection was over, she served herself a light breakfast and began munching quietly on it. The meal continued in silence, broken only when her father spoke quietly from the head of the table. "We need to leave by eight. The conference is due to start at eleven."

"How are we going to get to Maryland in three hours?" Draco asked a bit dubiously. He had seen the maps, and the distance between the two locations. Apparation would be too taxing at such long distance, and he doubted the muggle government had an open floo.

"A senkaimon can take us," Yoruichi murmured. Her normally cheerful face was now drawn with a heavy mask of composure. "We'll spend the rest of the time preparing in Washington. We need to. It's the only chance we have."

~oOo~

Once the ethereal gateway had deposited them in the agreed upon pre-conference meeting room (better known as the diplomatic reception room), Liana felt herself falling into yet another whirl of activity. She was vaguely aware of several other people in the room, all well-dressed in suits or dresses, or sporting formal blue militaristic uniforms that were heavily decorated. Alarmed demands about their way of transportation were issued, followed quickly by apologetic explanations. After that, introductions went around, and she learned that she was in the same room as the president of the United States, his wife, and a surprising percentage of his cabinet. Never once was it mentioned that it was her birthday, but she didn't mind. She had spent long hours talking with Draco about it, and there were far more pressing matters to attend to.

In short order, they were given a quick tour of the ground and state floors of the central building. A few reporters and dignitaries were already wandering around, and some more introductions were made with the more high-standing ambassadors. The president's cabinet split up and mingled with the assorted guests before the group (or rather, bizarre extended family) were ushered into a nearby sitting room.

It was the two noble heads who were the representatives of the Soul Society. The others would be in the crowd with the reporters, posing as guests from one of Britain's lesser known political parties and various family members. The shinigami were wary of potential attacks from the Chinese, no matter how unlikely they were in the nation's capital building, and insisted that protective measures be taken and their identities revealed later on.

Per the schedule, the group of five entered the briefing room after a large portion of the expected attendees had arrived and walked to their semi-inconspicuous seats at the far side of the room. Liana fidgeted as the whispers and murmurs grew louder, and everyone in the room openly discussed the rumors that had been flying around and what the repercussions may or may not be. Draco reached over and took her hand, squeezing it as he leaned over to whisper to her.

"Everything will be fine. Just have faith." She nodded faintly, feeling her muscles relax the slightest bit as her gaze remained glued to the podium. Her mother, who was sitting on her other side, smoothed her hair back.

"Your father and Shihoin-san know what they're doing," she smiled softly, a kind light shining from her slightly broken eyes. "You do not need to worry."

"Yes, Mother," she whispered back. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the plush chair. She took a deep, calming breath before pulling out her phone. She needed a distraction.

The family group waited with a wide range of emotions – anxiety, impatience, and boredom being only a few of them – for the next half hour before the room suddenly became much more rowdy and excited. Reporters shouted questions at the President as he walked into the room, smiling widely and shaking the hands of a few of the people in the room. White light burst at every possible opportunity as cameras flashed and television anchors droned into their microphones.

The politician cleared his throat once he was standing behind the podium. "Thank you all for coming here today," he began, a polite, slightly impersonal tone in his voice. "As I am sure you are all aware, this conference was called to discuss the rumors of agents of the Afterlife and its connection to the New York beach shooting." He paused and held up a hand as the reporters began yelling questions. He waited for the roar to calm down before continuing. "I am here to say that there _is _a connection, and that the rumors are true." The noise swelled again and the President patiently waited for them to finish. "Those rumors were a call for help from the –" He glanced down at his papers "– shin-i-gam-mi after a terrorist attack on their land by the Chinese government. I am afraid that I am not the best one to answer your questions. I am happy to say that we have two of these agents here with us today to explain their situation." He made a sweeping gesture to the sides of the room. The two noble heads suddenly appeared in the front corners, and Liana recognized the cancelling charm for what it was as it dispelled the Disillusionment Charm. "Welcome to the United States, Captain Kuchiki and Lady Shihoin." He smiled warmly and shook both of their hands as Yoruichi gave a smile and her father nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. President," Yoruichi said, her usual enthusiasm missing as nothing but polite gratitude filled her voice. "It is an honor to be here."

He beamed. "Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, I present Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and Lady Yoruichi Shihoin." The audience gave a polite applause as Yoruichi bowed once again. She and the President moved off to the side of the raised platform and sat down on two chairs that had been placed in the corner.

Liana felt her heart thud harder in nervousness as her father walked up to the platform. Draco's grip on her hand tightened and she watched with fearful emerald eyes as her father's gaze swept over the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the United States of America," he said, his voice ringing through the room in the Queen's English, with no trace of the American accent that the President sported, "my name, in its simplest form, is Byakuya Kuchiki. I am a captain of the sixth division of the Thirteen Imperial Guard Squads, or Goteijuusantai, and I am the twenty-eighth head of the Kuchiki Family, the first of the Four Great Noble Houses. I was raised in the Soul Society – or Heaven, Nirvana, whichever term it is you wish to refer to it with – as the only direct heir to the Kuchiki Clan, in the knowledge that I would someday take the mantle that my grandfather had upheld since the death of his father, and the title that my own father never had a chance to receive. However, I stand before you not as a representative of my family. I am here as a single man who does not wish to see his home and livelihood destroyed and conquered before his very eyes, or witness an invading land attempt to overthrow his king. I am here to represent the Thirteen Squads, and to ask for allies in a war that never should have started.

"We shinigami exist to protect the living world, and all those who exist in it. The men and country of the ones who attacked us are no exception. It would be against our very _raison d'être _if we had done anymore than defend ourselves against them. Thus, we sealed away the areas of the Soul Society that they had not already conquered and fled to the World of the Living. My colleagues and subordinates, proud men and women with whom I have fought against those who seek to devour the living, are now reduced to living in hiding, scattered across the Earth in an attempt to survive. I am loathe to say something so foul against the people whom I am sworn to protect, but I have no doubt that the Chinese government will hunt them down like dogs, if given the slightest chance, and my comrades would be able to do almost nothing in return.

"The reason why they wish to overthrow us is very simple. The direct translation of the characters used to spell "China" is "Middle Land." Throughout time, the Chinese have been the most influential land in Asia, and believed their country to be the center of the world, similar to the geocentric theory. They wish to convert the Soul Society, a land that is Japanese by heritage, into a Chinese land and culture.

"The Goteijuusantai is not your standard rank-and-file military organization. We are comprised of men, women, and in some cases, children, from all walks of life with varying interests and concerns. The average shinigami is, in most cases, someone who wished to protect their friends and loved ones from the forces that we battle on a daily basis. The higher-ranked of the shinigami are typically outcasts with vastly different personalities who joined in the hopes of a life where they are not discriminated against for their power or appearance."

"We are, fundamentally, not human beings. We are souls, spirits, the mind and will of a person who has been separated from their living body. It does not mean that we do not feel. We live, we breathe, we laugh and cry. We feel emotions just as strongly as any one of you, perhaps stronger. Please do not think of us as angels. We are not. Do not think of us as demons. We are not. We are men and women who have seen atrocious things in our lives, and still go on with life. We are people who would stake our lives in number for just a single man who can still claim life in this world. Our way of life, our very _existence _is being threatened, and we can do little about it. The Chinese wish to force their ways on us, and we desperately need aid and salvation. I ask you not as a captain, nor as a Clan head. I ask you as a humble man, please help us."

He took a step back from the podium and bowed. Liana vaguely realized that it was the first time she had seen her father _bow_. There had been nods of acknowledgment in the past, a polite or respectful tone that slipped into his voice but was so _hard _to catch if one wasn't looking for it, but a bow? It wasn't a deep one, roughly a forty-five degree angle and certainly not as sharp as the ones she'd seen the shinigami give him when he walked by, but it was there. A physical acknowledgment that he, a man who had such pride and held himself well at the top of the social ladder, was desperate and dependent on those before him for survival. Cameras flashed, immortalizing the moment before he straightened back up. The President stood and walked up to him. There were handshakes and nods and even more cameras went off as hushed words were exchanged before the head of the American executive branch spoke.

"We will have a brief intermission before Lady Shihoin speaks."

The noise level in the room suddenly went up as reporters went back to chattering into their microphones. Liana didn't move as her family shifted around her, instead keeping a close eye on her father and her mentor. Yoruichi had pulled her phone out of the many folds of her ensemble, holding it up to her ear before whispering frantically to her father. He gave a quick, grave nod and they switched phones, murmuring to the American president before briskly leaving the room. News cameras followed his exit and bulbs flashed as he left, but he paid little attention to anything but the door at the end of his walk.

Liana shared an uneasy glance with Draco before going back to watching Yoruichi. The rest of the break went quickly with no event, but by the time Yoruichi stood up to address the crowd, her father still hadn't come back.

"Good morning, and thank you all for taking the time out of your busy lives to listen to myself and Lord Kuchiki," she started. "As Mr. President has said already, I am Lady Yoruichi Shihoin. I won't bother you with the circumstances of my upbringing like my colleague did, as it's very complicated to explain. I would like to say that while Lord Kuchiki covered the politics and ethics of our situation, I will be talking about a part that more of you might be able to relate to – the people.

"As Lord Kuchiki said, all of our intelligence points to what we believe to be the Chinese government's goal – the takeover of the Soul Society and reeducation to the Chinese way of life _at all costs_. I would like for you all to think about this for a second. In the middle of the Soul Society is the Seireitei, which is where the shinigami and main noble lines reside. That would be a population of approximately sixty-five thousand shinigami and two thousand nobles who would be subject to death or extreme oppression. Shinigami are taught to fight every day in order to preserve our way of life, and nobles are prideful by nature. The rebellions alone are estimated to bring the casualty tally to fifty thousand, not taking into account the deaths that would be brought about in the name of "taming" those left.

"However, they will not stop at just the Seireitei, where the shinigami and noble families reside, but they will continue into the general populace where the majority of the Soul Society's population is. Please take a moment to think about your late mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends. Chances are, they are somewhere within this group. The Soul Society mostly leaves this population, the Rukon citizens, alone and allows them to live as they wish. However, if the Chinese are allowed to do as they please, that freedom will be stolen from them.

"We have never exposed ourselves to the living before, but the shinigami are desperate and the nobles are terrified. Our land is being held under siege and we are constantly under attack. Yes, the majority of us are in hiding, but the Chinese are trying to find us. Even now, we are trying to save ourselves and unsure if we will succeed."

"As it is, the chances look dim." The crowd turned towards the door, and Liana felt worry creep into her mind. Her father had slipped back into the room unnoticed, bereft of his blazer and tie with his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. His pale hands were stained with blood and his expression was one of grave concern. "I apologize, ladies and gentlemen, Lady Shihoin, for interrupting, but if we do not move quickly, a child will be lost."

Alarmed buzzing sounded and the mass swelled for the exit, curious and horrified all at once. Cameras followed the two nobles closely, and Yoruichi elbowed her way through the room, already stripping a layer of silk and fine material from her complicated kimono.

Liana felt a hand slip into hers and tug. "Come on," her aunt said. "If it's bad enough for Nii-sama to come for aid, they need all the help they can get. We can help."

The two slight ravens slipped through the crowd, maneuvering carefully past the throng. A young boy with grimy white hair laid in the middle of the marble floor, no older than the younger students at Hogwarts. He was covered in blood and cuts and blackish bruises, shockingly white bone sticking out of his skin at random intervals and more than one of his limbs at an unnatural angle. His shredded clothing was dirty and stained, and a disheveled looking woman, also with ruined clothing, fretted nearby.

Yoruichi knelt at the boy's side, her hands glowing a soft green as she held them over the most heavily bleeding wounds on his abdomen. Her black haired counterpart was to her right, hands hovering over the child's head.

"Give me your wand, Liana," her aunt said. She gave her a startled look until the older woman made an impatient noise. "There's barely enough room for me to heal him. I'll make it invisible so you can work on him with your abilities from above."

"But I don't know many healing spells!" she protested.

She snorted. "Do you mean Yoruichi hasn't been teaching you field healing?" she questioned. "There must be _something _you know that can help! Be creative! Now hand over that stick!"

"Okay," she mumbled, cautiously handing her the holly. Her aunt muttered something before giving it back, and Liana barely managed to grab the handle before it disappeared from sight.

* * *

**Any takers?**


	10. Deleted Scenes

**I do not own anything**

**It's been a nice run. I hope you enjoy the deleted scenes!**

**I didn't know it would be so long...**

* * *

**The Seireitei**

"Even if the two of you are deceased in the eyes of the Wizarding World, the fact remains you are the Lord and Lady of a high standing family," he explained. "Even as the head of the Kuchiki family, I have no right to keep you from your heir. Among other things, I had thought the three of you would like to get to know each other."

Yoruichi snorted. "I don't believe that for a second. What are you planning?"

After a lengthy pause, he answered her. "The Dursleys died last week."

"What?" Lily's eyes widened at the familiar name. Could that mean…?

"I konsoed them while the students were taking their exams. I had some of my men bring them to the Manor, and they are there now." He glanced back, his concern thinly veiled by a mask of aloofness.

"What?" Liana stopped dead, terrified. It hadn't been very long since the last time they had tormented her.

"I had promised them to make them suffer for treating you so horribly, Liana, and I intend to go through with it," he said softly, turning to face his daughter. "I will not allow anyone to mistreat my daughter and get away unscathed. However, it is the same as before – you do not need to come into contact with them if you do not wish to. If all works well, then they will not be allowed to interact with you without your consent."

"Yes, Father," she whispered, unconsciously stepping closer to Draco.

Yoruichi smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry, kiddo. If they try anything, I'll beat them into next century."

"I guess…"

"Hey, we're all here for you," James said encouragingly. "If they try anything, they'll haveto get through _all_of us."

"Thanks." Feeling safe and loved, something that had been literally non-existent in her childhood, she neared Kuchiki Manor for the first time.

"Welcome back, Byakuya-sama." A middle-aged maid bowed as they entered. "The guards have returned with the three you requested a few hours ago. What shall we do with them?"

"Have them locked into some of the spare rooms – separately. Have three rooms more prepared as well. One is for Liana and the others will be a guestroom for Mr. and Mrs. Potter and a temporary room for Malfoy-san," he instructed. "Also, where is my sister? Surely she would have returned by now?"

"Rukia-sama is arguing with Kurosaki-dono in the inner garden," she said.

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" He raised an eyebrow. "What is he doing here?"

"Rukia-sama has been trying to teach him how to control him to control his reiatsu for a few months now." A glimmer of amusement appeared in her eyes. "It appears she hasn't been successful yet, my lord."

Yoruichi laughed. "With how much power that kid has, it'll probably take a lot longer than just a few months."

"Kurosaki Ichigo? The orange-haired ryoka that ended the Winter War?" Lily asked curiously. "_That _Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Mmhmm," she nodded before explaining for the benefit of the two teenagers and Sirius. "Ichigo is the son of an old friend of mine – Kurosaki Isshin. He's insanely powerful and is probably one of the main reasons the Soul Society won our own war, just a few years before I went to Hogwarts myself. It just so happens he's very close to Rukia, who's Liana's aunt."

"Bakamono! I've told you over and over again – concentrate, you idiot!"

"How can I concentrate with you yelling in my ear?!"

"I wouldn't have to yell if you'd just do it!"

"Did I mention the two of them fight like an old married couple?" she added idly.

"They sorta sound like you and Lily, Prongs," Sirius commented.

"Nah. I was_way_more suave than that," he grinned. Lily rolled her eyes and whacked him. "Ow!"

"… Wait, I thought you said only the servants were here," they heard the male mutter.

"I thought there were…"

Yoruichi snickered, taking a deep breath before shouting, "OI! ICHIGO! RUKIA! DID YOU TWO GET TOGETHER YET?"

"WHAT!" James and Sirius started laughing as Byakuya sighed. They heard two pairs of footsteps running towards them as two people came into view.

Rukia mentally slapped herself for not realizing they would be here, blushing furiously. "Nii-sama, Yoruichi-dono, Liana-san."

The orange haired teen next two her blinked. "Byakuya, Yoruichi. Haven't seen you two in a while."

Rukia huffed, turning to kick him in the shins. "Idiot! You really should start showing Nii-sama the proper respect!"

"Ow! That hurt, Midget!"

"It's supposed to, Imbecile!"

"Enough." He had forgotten how tiring it was to deal with these two arguing. "Your bickering is doing nothing but causing unnecessary noise."

"Hai, Nii-sama."

"Sorry, Byakuya."

"What's going on?" Draco muttered.

"No idea," Liana whispered back.

The teen stared at them curiously. "So, who are you people?"

"Ah, this is Liana-chan," Yoruichi pointed at her. "She's Byakuya's daughter, the one I'm sure Kisuke and Rukia told you about. That's Malfoy Draco, her fiancé and classmate. This is Black Sirius, _my_fiancé, and these are Potter James and Potter Lily, new recruits in the juubantai and Liana-chan's adoptive parents, who also happen to be old school friends of me and Sirius."

"Eh…?" He stared blankly as it processed. "So, she," he pointed at Liana, "is Byakuya's long-lost wizard daughter. He," he pointed at Draco, "is her fiancé. That," he pointed at Sirius, "is your fiancé, which is sort of weird. And they," he pointed at Lily and James, "are her," he pointed at Liana, "adoptive parents as well as some of your fiancé and your friends and new recruits in Toshiro's squad?"

"That just about sums it up," she chirped. "How's Isshin been?"

"Eh. Crazy as ever," he shrugged. "Where have you guys been, anyway? You just disappeared."

"England. Or Scotland. Somewhere in the United Kingdom, anyway," she mused. "Where _is_Hogwarts?"

"The Scottish Highlands," Lily supplied. "With lots and lots of Muggle Repelling wards."

He stared at them oddly. "So… right after the War ends… you guys go get a long-lost daughter on the other side of the world, in the World of the Living, and stay there for two years?" His brow furrowed. "I thought it would be easy to just pick her up and get back here. Where do those two come in?" He looked at Sirius and Draco.

"I told you, classmate." She rolled her eyes. "Liana and Draco go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The British Wizarding World was recently in a war against a traitor named Riddle Tom Marvolo, or Voldemort, as he called himself." She smiled somewhat bitterly. "Liana was always considered an important figure in the war effort, so we had to stay for a while. It just ended a month ago, actually." And thank goodness for that. "Sirius and I got engaged in the party they threw in the aftermath, and Liana and Draco did… what? Ten minutes later?"

"So it was a spur of the moment thing?" Ichigo asked, scratching his head.

"Nah. _We_were spur of the moment." She gestured to herself and her fiancé. "_Their _parents have been planning it for a while now."

"… How nice," he muttered.

Liana jumped suddenly as a black garbed man that looked like a ninja appeared in a crouched position.

"Hime-sama," he bowed his head, "Daiki-sama and Izumi-sama request the immediate presence of hime-sama and hime-sama's fiancé to be fitted for the wedding ceremony. Hiroto-sama is currently in the care of his nursemaid."

"Huh? Oh, fine. C'mon, Sirius," she sighed and grabbed his arm. "I guess I'll see you guys later then, Ja ne!"

"Hey wai-!" His protest was cut off as they both disappeared in shunpo.

"Byakuya-sama." A small, meek girl appeared at his side, bowing. "We have prepared the rooms, my lord."

"Show them to their rooms, then." He nodded to his guests and daughter. "And have someone bring me to the Dursleys and show them there when they finish."

"What should I do, Nii-sama?" Rukia asked.

"This has to do with the Wizarding World, Rukia. We are only here until tomorrow evening – I shall tell you when there is more time."

"Hai." The girl motioned for the four wizards and witches to follow her as an older maid led Byakuya in the other direction, Yoruichi and Sirius trailing after him.

Liana noticed that her things had managed to make it there before her. It was a large room for such a traditional building. The far left wall was mostly dominated by a bookshelf filled with all sorts of books, magical, muggle, and spiritual alike. A large cupboard/wardrobe combo in the right corner closest the door, besides which was a low table, presumably a desk, with a picture of Hogwarts hanging above it. On the other side of the desk was a door to an en suite bathroom. A white, soft-looking mat lay in the middle of the room, probably to serve as her bed. Her trunk sat tucked snugly in what space the bookshelf left. Her beloved Firebolt rested on stands above it as Hedwig dozed on a perch in front of it. The wall opposite the doorway turned out to be a door, leading into a large, well-kept garden, the kinds of which Privet Drive could only dream of.

"This room is only temporary," a servant said from behind her. "After the wedding, everything in here and Draco-sama's room will be moved into a larger room."

"Ok." She started looking through the books, paying only half attention.

"This is the room Sojun-sama had before his marriage with Izumi-sama." She turned as the servant knelt on the floor, opening a hidden trap door next to the bed. "Byakuya-sama doesn't know of this tunnel's existence. It leads to Shihoin Yoruichi-sama's bedroom, which she'll be keeping when she marries Sirius-dono. There are actually many tunnels throughout Kuchiki Manor that Byakuya-sama does not know of, but most of those belong to the Seireitei Women's Association."

"Thank you." She made to inspect the door, but the maid stopped her.

"Byakuya-sama said he wanted for you and the others to be brought to the Dursleys' rooms after seeing the bedrooms. It would not be best to keep him waiting."

"Uh… coming." After getting the attention of the others, the middle aged woman led them to a few rooms about three hallways over.

A male servant bowed as they entered an empty room. "Byakuya-sama has told me he will be speaking to the Dursleys individually to see if they regret their actions in life. He asked for us to wait here, and to please be prepared should one of them be remorseful, as he will send them in here to both test their honesty and to try to help the transition."

"Oh bloody hell," Liana muttered.

"Looks like the only thing to do is wait, then," James sighed. They all agreed, settling down to wait.

~oOo~

As he entered the hallway, the 28th head of the Kuchiki family could only wonder how things had gotten to the point where he was interviewing distant in-laws to see if they were fit to be his servants.

He decided to go with the, possibly, least difficult to speak to, and entered the room containing the only female Dursley.

She was huddled in the corner of the room, staring blankly at the floor. She looked dazed, but strangely relieved to be there. She didn't seem to notice his entrance, as she didn't react when the door opened, nor when he stepped inside.

"Mrs. Dursley." She jerked, startled out of her thoughts. He couldn't help but feel she looked like a guilty man who had, however fearfully, accepted his punishment. Perhaps there was hope for this woman after all.

"I heard stories," was the first thing out of her mouth. "When I… when I was in that coma, or whatever it was, I heard the… nurse talk about her. About the gir- Liana, and everything she'd gone through." Her hands started shaking as her voice cracked. "They took tests to see what she'd gone through. I heard her and the Scottish woman talking about the results. I could hear them, but I couldn't do anything, so they didn't know… I-I didn't know Vernon did any of that to her, though! He'd always say she was being a freak so he put her in her place." She buried her head in her hands. "I know she was never hers by blood, but she's Lily's child. Oh god, Lily, I'm so sorry!"

He was silent for a moment, just watching her sob. "Mrs. Dursley," he finally repeated. "I have something to tell you."

"Say anything, I don't care," she mumbled. "I probably deserve it anyway."

He raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment. "Outside this room, the Potters, Liana, and her fiancé are waiting." Her head jerked up to stare at him. "Due to my marriage with Hisana, your first cousin-four times removed, you and your family is the Kuchiki family's responsibility. That can be fulfilled in two ways – either you become a ward of the Kuchiki family, or you become one of our servants. If you leave this room and face your sister and niece, I will allow you to become a ward of our family. I do not know if they will forgive you, or even acknowledge you, but you will not become our servant. If you do not do this, I will have one of our help come and take you to learn how to perform your chores properly. Your husband and son will be given the same choice."

"I don't think Vernon will agree to either of those," she said softly, "but I'm not sure I want to be his wife anymore. Dudley… well, it'll be good for him either way." She stood up. "I want to apologize to them. I don't think I can bear living with the guilt."

"I will have someone draw up the divorce papers," he nodded. "Go and speak to your family – they are in the next door to the left. I will be speaking to Vernon."

He left the woman to gather her courage, entering the next room over.

The overweight man was sitting Indian-style with his arms crossed, grumbling to himself.

He cleared his throat to gain the red man's attention.

The reaction was instantaneous. He jumped to his feet, piggy eyes bulging as he pointed a shaky finger at the nobleman. "You!" he snarled. "You're the one who dragged us here? Let us go! I _demand _you let me and my family leave!"

"Please calm down, Mr. Dursley, we are hosting guests at the moment," he said calmly before getting straight to the point, "I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" His eyes squinted in suspicion. "What proposition?"

"It's quite simple." He watched his reaction carefully as he said, "Either you apologize to Liana for your treatment of her, or you become one of the Kuchiki family servants."

"And why the ruddy hell should I apologize to that _freak_?" he snarled. "We fed her and clothed her! We gave her a roof over her head and the clothes off our back! We gave that freak more than she deserved! If anything, _she_should be apologizing to _us!"_

"I see I cannot persuade you, then." His voice became frighteningly soft. As he snapped his fingers, Vernon became aware that four men surrounded him, pinning his arms to his side and immobilizing him.

"_Let go of me!"_he bellowed. "_Let go of me, you filthy, disgusting, no-good FREAKS!"_

One of the men jabbed him harshly in the stomach. "Quite, you pig!" he growled. "How _dare _you speak to our lord like that!"

"Our _what?" _he wheezed.

"You are now one of the Kuchiki family servants, Dursley Vernon." The enjoyment he saw in the black haired man's eyes was not imagined. "As the head of the Kuchiki family, I am your lord, and my daughter is your princess. He brings up a good point, however. That is hardly a manner in which you address your master."

The black haired man knew he would need to start building up his aloofness again soon, but allowed himself a malicious smirk, though it was too slight for one to notice unless they were _really_looking. "You will learn address your betters properly, Dursley, or you will face the consequences." Allowing his sadistic euphoria to fade, he addressed the guards. "Take him to be trained in his duties and keep him away from my daughter until it is guaranteed he will behave. Inform the one training him that any method necessary is authorized to keep him in line."

"Hai." They vowed briefly before dragging away a kicking and screaming Vernon Dursley.

He watched indifferently before turning and heading into the next room. The youngest Dursley could go either way, given how his parents went.

He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling in boredom and using his arms as a pillow.

"I never knew my ceiling was so captivating," the dark haired man said dryly, startling the teen. "You seem to be very interested by it, Mr. Dursley."

"Ha ha. What do you want?" he scowled.

"Simply to ask you something. Due to the fact you are blood-related to my daughter, the Kuchiki family is duty-bound to provide for you and your family." The boy perked up at this. "This can be done by taking you as either a servant, or a ward of our family. However, there is a catch, should you choose the latter."

He started grumbling. "There's always a catch."

He ignored this. "If you are to become a ward of the Kuchiki family, all I ask at present is that you apologize to Liana for your behavior towards her. The choice is completely yours, Mr. Dursley. I am simply here to receive you response before going on with my day."

"What about Mum and Dad?" he asked.

"Your mother has decided to become a ward of the family, but your father has allowed his hatred to blind him. Again, the choice is yours."

He thought about it. His mother had always indulged him, coddling him to no end, whereas his father never did much but chortle at his misdeeds, always keeping him at arm's length. If given a choice, he normally would have gone with his father, but spending the past year at Hogwarts had opened his eyes, as if a mystical force had been gently prying his mind into a more… aware state. Still, he would have to swallow a lot of his pride.

But then, now that he thought about it, he had never had much pride to begin with.

"Fine," he grunted. "I'll say I'm sorry."

"Excellent. If you would follow me, then." Hopefully this all could be over swiftly so he could get on to other business. He was a busy man, after all.

~oOo~

Liana wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation when her Aunt Petunia came into the room, wringing her hands nervously and not making eye contact with any of them, simply sitting down and continuing to play with her hands. She was even more confused when Dudley entered with her father a few minutes later.

"Um… Kuchiki-taicho, what's going on?" Lily asked finally.

"I had thought it best to tie up loose strings before it becomes completely impossible," he responded. "I believe Mrs. Dursley and her son have something to say to you."

The blond woman stared at her hands for a moment before looking up, straight into her sister's eyes. "I-I'm sorry for everything, Lily. For being so jealous and everything, and for Liana… I was being petty and blind. I'm so sorry."

"So am I," Dudley admitted. "I shouldn't have done all that to you."

Liana watched them cautiously, looking for any sign of this being a prank. Draco's hand tightened in hers, giving her silent support. After seeing no hint of it being an act, she slowly nodded, dazed but willing to accept it.

Petunia gave a large smile, the kind of which she hadn't given in years as Dudley grinned.

"Excellent." Her father's eyes glittered with some unknown emotion. Seeing the wizards and witches' confused expressions, he quickly explained the situation to them. "My marriage of Hisana made the her family, or the extended Evans family, the responsibility of the Kuchiki Clan, once it was within our capabilities to care for them. I decided that, should they apologize for their misdeeds, the Dursleys would be allowed to join the Kuchiki family as our wards – that means to say, they live on our property and we support them financially, but that is generally all we are required to do and they will not be publicly acknowledged as a member of our family – otherwise, they would become our family servants. Dursley Vernon seemed to be too ingrained in his hatred, thus I sent him to the servants' quarters."

"Uncle Vernon? A servant?" The thought of it was completely foreign, but not too unpleasant.

"Yes. He should be fit for his chores soon. Usually it only takes a few months," he said placidly, as if it was no big deal. He turned to the other two Dursleys. "Now then, I believe we should begin."

"Begin what?" Dudley asked.

"For anyone to become a member of a noble family, whether as a ward or an actual member, there must be a specific ritual performed. It is given to the wards we take in, the ones we adopt, and the spouses who marry into the family," he explained. "If the two of you would stand before me, please."

Mother and son were soon in front of him as the others watched in curiosity.

"Kneel before me, Dursley Dudley and Evans Petunia." The woman smiled slightly at being acknowledged by her maiden name.

The reiatsu in the room began shifting, becoming much heavier as his eyes started glowing, as did his daughter's. The Kuchiki Family Crest began drawing itself into the floor below mother and son, illuminated with the same light as the eyes.

"Do you swear your allegiance to the Kuchiki Family? Do you swear your loyalty to the house of my forefathers – to never betray us and always stand by us?"

"Yes," Petunia said softly, intoxicated by the power she felt swirling around her, entering her body and making her worries wash away.

"Yes," Dudley mumbled, trying to understand the strange energy he felt around him.

"Very well." His finger glowed from his reiatsu as he gently pressed it to both of their foreheads, drawing a small circle. The shape glowed, morphing until the Kuchiki Crest was on there as well, before slowly fading away. "I welcome you, Dursley Dudley and Evans Petunia, to the Kuchiki Clan, the first and greatest of the Four Great Noble Families."

"Thank you," Petunia whispered. She faltered slightly as she remembered something. "But… I'm not an Evans anymore-"

"You were born into the Evans family, weren't you?" he questioned. "No matter who you wed, it doesn't change those you were born to. You have the right to go by either Evans or Dursley, at this point. However, it would be best to fill out the appropriate paperwork…" He paused before calling, "Master Sakaki, are you there?"

An elderly man with thick, round glasses shuffled forward, wheezing, "Yes, Byakuya-sama?"

"Do you have the necessary paperwork for divorce on hand?"

"Oh, yes, my lord!" he said excitedly, pulling several papers out of his robe and handing it to him. He deflated when, instead of signing it himself, he handed it to Petunia.

"I'm sure we can work out something without using Mr. Dursley's signature," he said. "Thank you, Master Sakaki. That is all I require."

"Yes… my lord." He slunk back into the shadows with a thoroughly disgruntled look on his face.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I suppose you wouldn't mind spending some time alone with your sister and nephew?" he asked.

"Oh, no, of course not, Kuchiki-taicho," Lily said quickly, beaming at the chance to reconnect with her sister.

"Liana, Malfoy-san, please follow me." He led them into another room where a few women were waiting with needles, string, and cloths of all kind.

"What's going on?" Liana asked blankly.

"The Shihoins' wedding is to be in about a few months," Draco said, understanding due to his pureblood upbringing. "We need to get fitted for clothes to wear to the wedding, and this is our only chance until then. I think Mother and Aunt Andromeda," he said the latter somewhat hesitantly, "are planning to do the same when we get back."

"We will have similar garbs made for your friends in the Wizarding World," her father said, gesturing them over, "but seeing as this is the only glimpse the Seireitei will be able to get of you two until the official wedding next year, it's more fitting for you to be wearing something more permanent."

"I've never worn an actual kimono," Liana muttered, watching them curiously.

"Neither have I," Draco nodded. "But I guess we'll just have to manage."

He stayed silent, focusing on some paperwork that had been brought in.

After several hours of taking measurements, comparing cloths, and listening to the seamstresses squabble, the two of them were allowed to leave.

Her father took them to a building with a large Japanese 6 on it, similar to what she had seen just earlier that day.

"Welcome back, Kuchiki-taicho!" The shinigami bowed again as a scruffy, black haired one with a strange mark on his right upper forehead came up.

"Abarai-fukutaicho is in the office, sir. The rokubantai has been functioning well while you were in the World of the Living," he said.

He nodded. "And the gobantai?"

"Hinamori-fukutaicho hasn't asked us for any help, so we're assuming they're fine."

"I see."

"Kyouraku-taicho and Ukitake-taicho are with Abarai-fukutaicho. They came earlier today, saying they wanted to see a sparring match." The glint in his eyes suggested he wanted to as well.

He frowned imperceptibly. "It seems that I will not be able to finish the paperwork as I had planned," he muttered. "Very well. However, I need to make certain there isn't anything wrong with the rokubantai. Tell them I will be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Hai, Kuchiki-taicho." He bowed and scurried off, leaving the rest of the shinigami to whisper excitedly. Liana and Draco exchanged glances. Whatever this was, it sounded interesting.

After a quick sweep through the building, they were all in a large courtyard outside.

"I know you probably haven't been training much, taicho, but I'm still going to give it my all!" the redheaded man grinned. Liana wondered why he kept on popping up.

"Are you suggesting that you believe my skills to be lacking, Abarai?" he questioned. "I do not think that it is logical for a _fukutaicho_to be able to defeat his _taicho _in combat. It is foolish and disrespectful to believe so."

"Heh… maybe I need to be promoted, then," he grinned cheekily.

"We are not in need of yet _another _captain who destroys his own barracks. Zaraki-taicho does that enough, Renji."

The two blades clashed, sending a shower of sparks everywhere. Liana and Draco watched, transfixed, as the squadmen around them cheered.

"Whatever," he grunted. "It's sorta weird, don't ya think? The last time we fought unreleased, I thought you were a traitor."

"The head of the Kuchiki Clan can hardly turn traitor to the Soul Society." He blocked a downward strike. "Even if it appears I am a traitor, I will do everything in my power to fulfill my duty to my family."

"Euargh!" He was thrown back by the force behind the blade. Whoops of excitement erupted around them as the lieutenant made a throwing motion, still holding onto his hilt. "Hoeru, Zabimaru!"

His captain side-stepped the strange, extendable saw before holding his own zanpakuto in front of him. "Chire, Senbonzakura." The redheaded man had to jump out of the way as the petals rushed forward, speeding past where he had just been standing. With a yell, he jumped onto the offensive again.

"Yareh, yareh. Bit odd of him to release, isn't it?" Kyouraki asked. "Usually he waits a bit longer."

"He hasn't been back in a while, Shunsui," Ukitake pointed out. "Knowing Kuchiki-taicho, he doesn't want to take any risks."

"Looks like we'll be seeing bankais soon," he smiled.

"What do you mean?" Liana asked.

"Huh? Oh right, you don't know." He grinned somewhat sheepishly. "Well, there are three stages to a zanpakuto. There's unreleased, or sealed, which is just a normal katana, Shikai – first release – which is what they're doing now, and Bankai – second release – which is the strongest stage a zanpakuto can safely reach."

"So they go full power when they do this bankai thing?" Oh boy…

"Not quite." Rukia shook her head from behind her captain. "After bankai, Renji doesn't really have many more options to choose from, but Nii-sama has been training to become a shinigami for his entire life, and has more techniques to use than he does. For Nii-sama to use all of the power he has, he has to use some of his own blood as well as abandon all defense to kill his opponent."

"Oh wow…" That was a lot of determination.

"So does everyone have this bankai thing?" Draco asked, watching the thousand-and-one blades clash over and over.

"No. At any given time, the most people to have obtained bankai would be around twenty," Ukitake explained patiently. "It takes over ten years of conventional training to develop a bankai, and then several more years to learn how to control it. That's only if one has enough potential in the first place. Abarai-kun is one of the few non-captain shinigami to have it."

"Dear Merlin…"

Renji gritted his teeth as his attack was blocked for the umpteenth time. "Kuso," he cursed, eyes widening as he was suddenly surrounded by pink. "Dammit! Bankai!"

The petals were blasted away as a large, skeletal snake coiled around him, a red mane ruffling in the wind as it roared with a strange hissing quality. "Hihio Zabimaru!"

"Oh my bloody Merlin!" Liana exclaimed, wide-eyed. "That thing's as big as the basilisk I killed in second year!"

"A basilisk?" Draco gaped. "You get into the weirdest situations, Liana."

"I know." She continued staring.

Byakuya temporarily ignored his daughter's language. It _was_her first time seeing a bankai, after all. He could always reprimand her later, anyway.

Senbonzakura's thousand blades joined together again as he held the hilt facing the ground. As loath as he was to admit it, after all that off-time, he didn't think he could handle his lieutenant's bankai with just shikai.

"Bankai." The ground in front of him rippled like water as his zanpakuto sank into it. Behind him rose two rows of larger than life katana blades, and he caught his lieutenant's eye. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The red haired man swung the tail over his head, throwing his weapon at the other man with as much strength as he could muster. "Hikotsu Taiho!"

Liana was confused as her father didn't react, simply staring straight at the other man. She was even more puzzled when some of the petals rushed in front of him without any visible command, blocking the red beam.

"Damn," Renji muttered before the snake lunged again, mouth wide-open as if it was trying to eat him.

"Haven't we gone over this before?" his captain asked. Some of the petals joined to form the original blade as he held the skull at literally arm's-length. "How do you expect to defeat to nimble assault of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi with your slow bankai?"

"All I can do is try my best," he shouted over the noise. "Even if I can't do it now, I'll keep trying until I get stronger!"

"Your ambition is admirable, Abarai-fukutaicho," he noted. "However, you allow yourself to become far too distracted."

He disappeared into shunpo as Renji froze. The cool texture of a blade could be felt pushing into the back of his neck, and he could clearly feel his captain's spiritual pressure just behind him.

Everything was silent before the squad members burst into applause. Liana could only watch as her father removed his sword from his subordinate's neck, sheathing it.

"That was incredible, Kuchiki-taicho!"

"It's like you were never away at all, sir!"

"So amazing!"

He ignored his men's blathering in favor of returning to his daughter. He frowned as he realized the time. "It seems I won't be able to get any work done today," he muttered.

"Father, that was brilliant!" Liana grinned, having snapped out of her trance. "I never knew you could do stuff like that with your zanpakuto."

"Yoruichi and I had to keep many of our abilities hidden in England. It would have been disastrous if Riddle discovered some of our more… destructive capabilities." He glanced at her. "You realize, Liana, that _you_will eventually be taking my place as head of the Kuchiki Clan and rokubantai taicho? You will one day be expected to learn bankai."

"Between magic, parseltongue, and all of this, I say you're going to be unstoppable," Draco commented, seemingly not bothered his fiancée was going to be more powerful than him.

"I'm having trouble imagining it all," she said faintly.

To the shock of his men, her father looked slightly amused at this. He led them back to Kuchiki Manor.

"Come. I'd like to show you something."

They were soon in front of a beautifully carved stone, vines and birds carved intricately into it. A sakura tree sat a few feet away, the soft petals dancing in the wind.

Draco decided this was a private moment, and stood a few paces back.

"Out of the entire family compound, this was your mother's favorite spot." He seemed strangely at peace. Liana had seen her father relieved, amused, and a number of other emotions, but she had never seen him as content as he was now. He knelt down and brushed some dust and vegetation off of the stone.

In the middle of the designs was an inscription. It read '_The first plum blossom has bloomed, and thus, the start of a new beginning. Rest in peace, Kuchiki Hisana, the wife of the 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan.'_

"It is tradition," he said softly, "for the Japanese to cremate the deceased. The ashes and bones were separated into two parts, and half of them were placed here. What was burned probably wasn't her true body, but we did not know that at the time."

"_It's a grave,"_she realized. "_Or at least a half-grave. That's so sad…"_

"However," he stood back up, "it is likely that she is still alive, somewhere in the World of the Living. Perhaps…" He trailed off, thinking to himself. He closed his eyes. "I suppose there will be time to focus on that later on. I'm afraid the family elders have been rather… anxious to meet the two of you." His words were lightly coated with distaste as he led them inside.

As they headed back to the manor itself, the sound of two blacks of wood being clacked together ran through the air.

"_Alert! Alert!"_a voice called, sounding as if it came from their heads rather than some far-off distance. "_Ryoka have been detected near the public senkaimon. Repeat: Ryoka have been detected near the public senkaimon. Rokubantai taicho, Kuchiki Byakuya, Potter James and Potter Lily of the jubantai, and Shihoin Yoruichi of the Onmitsukido are to report immediately. Repeat: rokubantai taicho, Kuchiki Byakuya, Potter James and Potter Lily of the jubantai, and Shihoin Yoruichi of the Onmitsukido are to report immediately. This is not a drill. Repeat: this is not a drill."_

"What's going on?" Liana asked.

"Something magical, certainly," her father frowned. "Magic is the only thing that ties together those four names, especially with the Potters just out of the academy. The two of you stay here."

"But we can't just stay and wait!" she protested. Draco was silent, but he seemed to agree.

His frown deepened as James and Lily ran out. He nodded to them. "Bring these two along, but make sure they aren't seen by the ryoka."

Lily looked concerned about bringing two young, untrained children straight to unknown intruders while James was disgruntled to be in close proximity with a Malfoy.

"That is an order," the noble said sternly. "They will find a way there, whether they are allowed or now. It is best to simply allow them so there is minimal chaos."

"Yes, sir."

There was a whirl of color before they were suddenly in a sea of black. Shinigami were in all directions, milling in the center of a grand walkway with stone pillars to either side and two large, ornate doors looming over them from the end of the path. They were firmly shut as two guards stood in front of them. In the middle of the throng were several oddly dressed, yet familiar people.

"You are late, Kuchiki-taicho," Yamamoto grunted as Lily and James hurried their charges into the mass.

"My daughter and Malfoy-san insisted on accompanying me," he replied. "They should be somewhere in the crowd at the moment."

"Hmph." His attention turned back to the strangely garbed group. "How many of these ryoka can you identify?"

"McGonagall Minerva, Headmistress of Hogwarts and Transfiguation Mistress," he said, eyes zeroing in on the elderly witch. "I believe she is the Head of Gryffindor house – the house of the brave and daring."

His eyes was drawn to a dour man dressed completely in black, giving him a slight resemblance to those surrounding him. "Snape Severus," he heard a light gasp from the redheaded Potter behind him. "Hogwarts' Potions Master and Head of Slytherin – the house of the cunning and ambitious."

"Lupin Remus," the worn man startled at his name, "is a close friend of Shihoin Yoruichi's fiancé. Interestingly, he is a werewolf."

"Tonks Nymphadora," she growled at her first name, "is the first cousin, once removed of Black Sirius through Tonks Andromeda, her mother. She is a metamorphmagus and has the ability to change her appearance at will."

"Oh?" Kurotsutchi's curiosity was peaked. "How interesting…"

"Stay away from her and the werewolf, Kurotsutchi," Yoruichi said coldly from behind Snape, who stiffened. "Andromeda and her daughter are in the process of being reinstated into the Black family, and Lupin-san is a close friend and confidant of both my fiancé and Kuchiki-taicho's daughter. You'll have to go through the Shihoin Clan and, to an extent, the Kuchiki Clan before you get your hands on them."

He grumbled at her interference but relented.

"If you're so eager to protect the ryoka, then why don't you identify the rest of them, Shihoin Yoruichi," Yamamoto rumbled, annoyed at her barging in.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I would be delighted to, sotaicho-dono."

"What are we? Cattle?" The anonymous mumble drifted through the air.

"The Slytherins, Crabbe Vincent and Goyle Gregory. The heirs to the Crabbe and Goyle wealth and titles, respectively. Zabini Blaise, the heir to the fortunes of his late father and six stepfathers. Nott Theodore, scion of the Nott family. Parkinson Pansy, the heiress of the Parkinson-"

"Their _names_, not their titles," the elderly man growled impatiently.

She bowed mockingly, a light smirk on her face. "Of course, sotaicho-dono."

"Impertinent brat," he muttered.

"There's also Greengrass Daphne, Davis Tracey, and Bulstrode Milicent." She turned to the teens who were looking around analytically. "The Ravenclaws – the house of the intelligent. Goldstein Anthony, Entwhistle Kevin, Turpin Lisa, Brocklehurst Mandy, Corner Michael, MacDougal Morag, Patil Padma, Cornfoot Stephan, and Boot Terry." Some of the teens were huddled together. "The Hufflepuffs – the house of the hardworking and loyal. MacMillan Ernie, Abbot Hannah, Finch-Fletchley Justin, Bones Susan, and Zacharias Smith." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, eyes sweeping across the wizards. "I think that's all of them…"

"Oy!" An angry redhead glared at her. "You can't be serious, Yoruichi!"

"Oh, right," she grinned. "The Gryffindors. Weasley Ronald and Granger Hermione, who I'm sure you all remember from over Christmas, or so I've been told, Thomas Dean, Finnigan Seamus, Brown Lavender, and Patil Parvati. All of the students will be going into their seventh year at Hogwarts this September."

"If you're done with your explanation," Snape drawled sardonically. "Perhaps you could tell us what we're doing here, Shihoin?"

"I don't know any more than you do," she shrugged. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"Ron and I were finishing up some homework when there was a flash of white light," Hermione supplied. "The next thing we know, we were here!" The others gave similar stories.

"Shihoin Yoruichi, do you or Kuchiki-taicho have any knowledge of what could have transported them here?" Yamamoto queried.

"To my knowledge, there is no such technique, sotaicho," the captain stated.

"I don't know either, sotaicho-dono," Yoruichi shook her head. "James and Lily were summoned too, weren't they? Maybe they'd know."

"Wait, what?" Remus looked alarmed and a bit angry. "What are you talking about? James and Lily are _dead_!"

There was a heavy silence as the shinigami stared. The officers around them had to fight to keep from laughing as some of their superiors struggled to keep a straight face.

Yoruichi snorted. "So? You're forgetting something, Remus. Don't you remember? We," she gestured to the assembled mass, "are _shinigami_. Gods of death. At the moment, you are not in the World of the Living, but the Seireitei."

"_WHAT?!" _an over dramatic gryffindor shrieked. Brown Lavender, they remembered, was her name. "We're-we're _dead_?"

"Dead or not, does it matter?" Soifon snapped. "Yamamoto-sotaicho, they are _ryoka_! Why are we wasting our time and holding conversation with them!"

"Standard procedure for dealing with ryoka would be to either kill or imprison them," Ukitake argued. "Keep in mind who these people are, Soifon-taicho. They have ties to both the Kuchiki and Shihoin Clans, whether or not they realize the significance, and we are not allowed to get involved with a noble clan's affairs."

"Yes, Ukitake-taicho, but the factor that decides if we are breaking the law would depend on whether or not the clans in question acknowledge their connection," Unohana said softly, looking pointedly at the two clan heads.

The Kuchiki lord was silent for a moment before speaking. "Until we can determine how they arrived here, the wizards and witches will be guests of the Kuchiki Clan."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Kuchiki-sama?" Yoruichi interrupted, knowing that this was now a noble affair and not a shinigami one. "I heard you had some new house guests. Are you sure it's a good idea to put some of them so close together? I know for a fact that Snape-san never got alone with one of your guests during his childhood."

"Then what do you suggest be done?" he asked sarcastically.

"Even if you claim they're your guests, they may try to revolt in order to escape. I think it would be best to separate the adults and the children. Everyone knows you're better at acting like a noble than I am, and I'm sure there's some in there who are used to that type of setting. I'll take the adults with me to Shihoin Manor. I'm sure Mother and Father won't mind, and Sirius will be delighted to see Remus and Tonks, even with Snape-san there."

"Very well." He turned to Yamamoto. "Sotaicho?"

The old man nodded gruffly. "Back to your posts," he ordered.

"Hai!" the black robed figures chorused before disappearing into a round of shunpo.

"Would Potter James and Lily stay back please?" Yoruichi called. Soon enough, the only ones there were the captains, lieutenants, and wizards.

"James?" Remus choked. "Lily?"

James grinned. "Long time no see, Moony."

"Hitsugaya-taicho," Yoruichi said. "Would you mind if I take them with me? I think Sirius would like to have a Marauder-reunion."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes. "They might as well be transferred at this rate. They haven't even been on active duty yet and they're already being borrowed by the others."

"Glad to see you're willing to spare them," she beamed. "C'mon, you guys."

"And what," Snape said incredulously. "Leave the students by themselves? They may be of age, but they're still our responsibility. I don't trust any of you farther than I can throw you, Shihoin."

Her eyes narrowed. "You don't have a choice, Snape-san," she said in a dangerously sweet voice. "Ukitake-senpai said so already – didn't you hear? Either you come with me, or we let the others kill you. We don't like intruders. A human in the Seireitei is like a muggle in Hogwarts. You're in no place to object. Now hurry up."

"I assure you," Byakuya said calmly, "your students will be fine. The Kuchiki Clan would disgrace itself if we didn't treat our guests well."

"Don't worry, Professor," Draco said, using James' distraction to step out from behind him. "We'll be fine."

His lips thinned into a straight line, showing his reluctance. Eventually, he inclined his head ever so slightly. "Very well, Mr. Malfoy."

"If we're finished with the pointless nonsense, I have an important experiment to get back to," Kurotsutchi sniffed. "Any longer and the entire research facility will catch fire!" With that said, he shunpoed, Nemu bowing and following behind him.

"I need to figure out where Matsumoto went," Hitsugaya said darkly. "Potter, don't turn the walls pink or whatever. Evans, watch your husband."

"Yes, sir," Lily smirked as he disappeared. One by one, the captains begged off an excuse and left, their adjutants following soon after.

"Looks like you get time to finish your paperwork after all, Byakuya-bo," Yoruichi grinned. "I'll see if this lot feels up to visiting tomorrow, Liana, Draco. Later!" She suddenly appeared between Snape and McGonagall, grabbing their shoulders as James and Lily clamped onto Remus. At an unspoken signal, they disappeared, leaving Byakuya alone with the Hogwarts Class of 1997. He closed his eyes, turning his back to the large doors where the guards had gone back to their posts.

"Come. There are far too many of you to shunpo or apparate. We will have to make the journey by foot. I would advice against wandering off as well – some of the shinigami will not hesitate if they decide to kill you."

~oOo~

Snape was in a foul mood as he followed stiffly after the purple haired woman, having wrenched away from her grip.

"You were quite insistent about us coming with you," he said nastily. "I doubt it was to keep us from 'plotting', as you claimed. Did you want to torture me further with my childhood grievances?" He said this while downright refusing to looking at the redheaded woman behind him.

"I'm getting married at the end of the summer," she said flatly. "Do you think I have time to think about that? You've resented me and my friends since first year, Snape-san. I'd like to find a way to make amends."

"Or so you say," he snorted vindictively. "You're skilled at lying and manipulating, Shihoin, more so than the average Gryffindor. I'd call it Slytherin, even."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she smirked, completely unaffected by his jeers. "You got it in one, Snape-san. After all, only a true Slytherin would be able to convince the Sorting Hat to place her in Gryffindor."

That may not have been the best thing to say, but she didn't seem to care, simply continuing on her way to the manor.

"It's a relief you did," Snape said loudly as he regained his composure. "I've never known you to have the dignity required to be in the Noble House of Slytherin."

At this, she reacted, whirling around to face him. "First you accuse me of torture, then you try and destroy my pride, and now you're insulting my dignity?" she hissed, highly resembling her zanpakuto and cat form. Snape startled. Just as always, her anger had surfaced so quickly he didn't know what to think. "Listen to me, _boy_," she jabbed an angry finger into his chest, having swiftly closed the distance between them. "You saw what I did to Riddle. What you saw was only a _fraction_of what I am capable of. I have been trained since birth in the ways of the assassin. I have lived for _centuries_longer than you have, Severus Snape. I suggest you don't cross me."

There was a tense silence. No one spoke, no one moved. Yoruichi eventually blinked and stepped back, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. I've been really stressed the last couple of days… bloody wedding." The last part was muttered.

There was another awkward silence before James spoke. "Er… should we keep going, then?"

"Oh, right. Let's go!" she chirped. The wizards and witches behind her stared at each other in confusion before following.

"Welcome back, hime-sama," a servant greeted.

"Hello, Chiyuki," she said idly. "Could you get someone to prepare two single guestrooms, please?"

"Right away, hime-sama." She bowed before hurrying off.

"The garden is beautiful," Lily said.

"That's to be expected with twenty plus generations of Shihoin living here," she said dryly. "Though the Kuchikis are six generations older than us. They are literally The Noble Family. Not even Yamamoto-sotaicho-dono knows their full history. They're the only ones."

"Isn't it always like that?" James asked. "Every family has things they keep from the rest of the world."

"I don't mean family secrets," she clarified. "I mean _history_. Who was the first family head, what were the things that lead to them becoming nobility, what were the major events in its early existence… things like that."

**The**** Seireitei**

To the shock of his men, her father looked slightly amused at this. He led them back to Kuchiki Manor.

"Malfoy-san, if you would stay here with the Potters for the moment, it would be appreciated," he said, mentally going over his agenda for the day. "The rest of you, follow me. The Elders expressed an interest in a meeting with you. Kurosaki Ichigo, that includes you."

"What's going on, Byakuya?" Ichigo asked as he led them through the corridors. "I get why Rukia and… er… Liana-san are coming, but why am I here?"

"The Elders failed to inform me why your attendance has been requested," he replied, not looking back to face the orange haired teen. "I can only assume they are eager to meet the boy who won the Winter War."

"Oi, when are you gonna stop calling me 'boy' already?" he asked in annoyance. "Hell, I'm not even a teenager anymore!"

"You are younger than even Kusajishi-fukutaicho. You may possess immense strength, but you are still young and naïve."

He rolled his eyes before wincing when Rukia elbowed him in the ribs.

"Don't be so disrespectful to Nii-sama, dolt!"

"Cut it out, midget!"

"Are they always like this?" Liana whispered, remembering their previous argument.

"Yes." They fought like an old married couple.

Ignoring their bickers, they entered a large spacious room. Inside were a dozen elderly men and women, sitting on flat cushion-looking things. Rukia stopped arguing as soon as they entered. Ichigo rolled his eyes but followed her lead.

Liana was a bit intimidated, feeling the weight of their stares, but did her best to hide it. Her father didn't seem bothered at all, seating himself on a cushion that was placed slightly in front of three others. She slipped onto the one to the far left, a bit unnerved by the silence as the others seated themselves as well.

"Welcome back, Byakuya-sama," one man finally croaked.

"Thank you, Sakaki-dono." He inclined his head slightly. "I would like to introduce my daughter, Kuchiki Liana. I am sure Sofu told you of her after her birthday celebration two years ago."

"Yes, Byakuya-sama. It is a pleasure to meet you, Liana-dono." The European name sounded awkward as he said it. The old man noticed it and frowned slightly.

Their head noticed and simply said, "With Riddle's return, we have not had enough time to compose a personal name for her to go by in the Soul Society. For the time being, it is what she will be addressed by."

"Of course, Byakuya-sama." The man, Sakaki, nodded before directing his attention elsewhere. "And the young man?"

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo," the orange haired man said offhandedly, as though he were completely relaxed.

"It's a pleasure." A woman picked up a few pieces of paper and gave it to her head to go over. "As you know, Byakuya-sama, we, the Kuchiki Council of Elders, have once again been searching for a husband for Rukia-dono." Her name was spoken in slight distaste as Rukia sighed quietly. "After much deliberation, we decided it would be beneficial for all parties involved to form a union between Kuchiki Rukia-dono and Kurosaki Ichigo-san."

Liana felt the urge to giggle when the two in question jolted alarmingly while her father's only reaction was a raised eyebrow. Such contrast.

"W-what?!" Ichigo gaped. "Me-me and _Rukia? __Married__?! _Are you people _insane_?!"

"So that's why you wanted him here." As opposed to his rather loud reaction, the black haired nobleman just murmured thoughtfully. "I'm inclined to agree, Kasumi-dono."

"What?" The substitute had gone into a flushed rage. "You're actually agreeing to this?"

"It is common knowledge that the two of you have feelings for each other, Kurosaki Ichigo. I was simply waiting to see whether you or the family would approach me first about matrimony," he said calmly, picking up a brush to sign the betrothal contract. "There is nothing I could ask of you to prove yourself worthy of my sister's hand in marriage. The only thing I could as is that you learn proper manners and etiquette. After regularly hosting for Weasley Ronald for the better part of two years, I could hardly ask that."

Liana smiled, somewhat reluctantly. "_Ron really does have horrible table manners… not to mention no tact whatsoever… but he's a good friend anyway."_

"What did Europe do to make you loosen up so much?" he muttered. The others pointedly ignored this.

Byakuya quickly swiped his signature onto the sheet. "As easy as it would be for him to sign it, Kurosaki Ichigo's signature will not be able to validate this contract. Where is his father?"

"My dad?" The human was bewildered and ran a hand through his hair. As soon as he said that, the door burst open.

"I'm here!" Liana was surprised as an exuberant man entered the room, a goofy grin plastered across his face. _This _was the father to the scowling, surly man?

The younger Kurosaki jumped to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at the man. "What the hell are you doing here, Oyaji?!"

"To keep lack of cooperation to a minimum and prevent nobility from eloping, it must be the families who sign the betrothal contract, unless one of the pair in question is the eldest male, or female if the male line has died, left in his or her family."

"That's a bunch of crap!" he growled.

"That's life, my son!" Isshin cried melodramatically. Liana stifled a giggle. He brandished the brush exaggeratedly before swiping his name onto the paper.

"_Dad! What the hell!_Rukia, don't you have something to say about this?!" The violet eyed girl was staring steadily at her lap, her face a deep tomato red.

An elder scoffed at his unruly behavior. "Whatever she has to say about the situation holds no weight. The two of you are now officially betrothed, and neither one of you can overturn it."

"Perhaps we could go over the technicalities later on," Byakuya suggested dryly, quickly calculating how much time they had left. "Malfoy-san is still waiting, and there is still very much left to do today."

Blotches of color appeared on his cheeks. "Of course, Byakuya-sama."

The elders shared a strange glance as Isshin made himself comfortable to the right of his son. The nobleman sighed internally, knowing what that look meant.

"Once again, Byakuya-sama, we have been deliberating your marital status, or lack thereof," Sakaki said cautiously. When the younger man showed no sign of irritation, he continued. "As the head of our great family, it is your duty to provide us an heir-"

"I have already produced an heir for the Kuchiki Clan. In case you have forgotten, Sakaki-dono, she is sitting right in front of you," he interrupted. "And I will not replace my wife. Hisana left Liana in England _after_her supposed death. There is a strong chance that she is still alive, somewhere in the World of the Living. I have already made arrangements to try to track her down, and Urahara Kisuke has already sent word that he will look into the matter and send any information he may find."

"But, milord, I say this with as much respect as possible-" not "-but your wife was a Rukon citizen! She did not belong in the Kuchiki family, she didn't even fulfill her duty as your wife!"

"Don't you dare-"

But he plowed on. "Rather than giving us a male heir, she gave us a useless, renegade _girl!"_

The Kurosaki men suddenly felt that they were intruding on something as Liana flinched, lowering her head so her hair hid her emerald depths. She didn't know what it was about this place that made her vulnerable, but she could feel something in the Soul Society that weakened the walls she had locked her childhood behind, making it easier for the memories of her early years to break through and ensnare her in their stranglehold.

"You mindless fool," her father hissed as she started shaking, unfocused eyes lost in ebony tresses as salty tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't notice him say anything – she wasn't aware of anything happening around her by this point. How could she? The memories… they were battling their way to the forefront of her mind, brushing away her meager Occlumency abilities and as-of-yet nonexistent zanpakuto in a vain attempt to keep them _away_. She felt herself despair as they swallowed her up, images of Vernon's putrid face and meaty hands flashing in her eyes as shadows of past pain echoed throughout her body.

"_You're useless!"_he had shouted when he had come home in a drunken stupor. "_You're nothing but a useless, ungrateful freak who had the nerve to survive instead of dying with your freaky parents!"_

She bit back a sob as she curled into the fetal position, rocking lightly on her heels as she remembered the blows to the abdomen he had dealt to her that day. She didn't see the two Kurosakis exchanged confused but grave glances, nor did she see her father as he glared at the older members of his family before gently reaching out to her.

"_Useless… useless… I'm useless… I'm nothing but a useless FREAK!"_

"Liana." She didn't hear her father, and recoiled at his touch, leaving the elders more confused than they already were, and securing the Kurosakis' suspicions. "Listen to me, child. Liana."

When she gave no reaction, he frowned and turned to a servant. "Get Malfoy-san and Yoruichi immediately. Tell them Liana is suffering a relapse."

"Hai!" The man bowed before rushing off, wondering what was happening to their princess.

"What's going on?" Ichigo murmured. "If I didn't know better…" He trailed off, not wanting to voice the implications that were associated with such behavior.

"Liana had a deplorable childhood," Rukia said in a low tone, watching as her brother tried to get through to his only child. "Her aunt and uncle didn't treat her well. Nii-sama told me that she suffered through physical, mental, and psychological abuse, as well as gross amounts of neglect. Nii-sama and Yoruichi-san have been doing everything they could to help her recover, but there's only so much they can do."

There was the sound of several sets of feet pounding on the floor outside as Draco and Yoruichi ran in, followed quickly by the Potters and Sirius, who had been dragged along for the ride. All five looked startled and worried as the shoji door flew open and they sprinted into the room, nearly overbalancing and landing on their respective arse.

"Bloody hell," Yoruichi muttered, spinning quickly to slow her momentum and dropping to the floor by the nearly of-age witch. "How did this happen?"

There was a tense silence as Byakuya scowled. "Sakaki-_dono_made a very… inappropriate comment." His displeasure was clearly palpable as the Elder flinched at the collective glare of all four wizards and witches.

"Of all the-! Bloody idiot." Filing away his incompetence for later, the purple haired woman started murmuring softly to her unofficial kohai, earning a quiet sob. Frowning, she started running her hand soothingly over her body, only to receive a flinch and shudder. Everything she tried did nothing but make Liana retreat further into her mind. The terrified girl couldn't help but wonder: why was she trying so hard? Did they want another excuse to give her a beating? Funny, it was always Uncle Vernon who beat her. Aunt Petunia always stayed away from the beatings. Why was she here as well? And why was Dudley telling Piers and Malcolm about this? Still, she knew the rules. Don't look. Don't speak. Doing so would mean more beatings, more lashes, more pain. Pain.

Pain.

As that thought entered her mind, her eyes rolled upward as her eyelids flew open. The light shaking that had replaced the small rocking movement quickly turned into spasms as her arms tore apart and her upper body threw itself back before slamming painfully against the floor. Her back arched, mouth open in a silent scream as blood trickled out and her limbs thrashed violently, startling all those present. The Elders squawked at the sudden change, falling onto their backs in undignified heaps.

"What's going on?!" Sirius exclaimed worriedly. "Prongslette? Oy! Prongslette!" The animagus couldn't swallow the small whines of worry when his words had no effect.

"Delayed side effects of the Cruciatus," his fiancée said grimly, the only one in the room who even had an inkling as to what was going on. "I used to get them before Snape gave me a potion for it. I have some of it now, actually, but I have no idea what's in it and I can't give it to her if she doesn't calm down."

"A Calming Draught isn't nearly strong enough," Byakuya said, a touch of aggravation reaching his words. "Using kido would only make her panic further, and there isn't a spell in existence that can do that."

"I have something." Lily pulled a vial out of the folds of her newly-earned shihakusho, one of the few potions that she could easily find the ingredients for in the Soul Society.

"What is it?" Yoruichi urged, shooting Ichigo a look to stay away from the girl.

"The product of an infusion of wormwood with the powdered root of asphodel," she said wryly.

"The Draught of Living Death?" Draco's eyes widened. "That's the strongest sleeping draught known to wizardkind! She'll be out for weeks!"

"I also have the antidote." She held up another vial.

"We'll just have to hope the ingredients don't form some kind of poison with the Anti-Cruciatus," Yoruichi decided.

The slytherin pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Mother makes me carry around a bezoar. We can use it if they do."

"Let's hurry before there's brain damage." Lily waved her wand as the fluids in one flask disappeared.

Ichigo watched as the girl he had met only an hour ago stilled, the contents of the potions reacting with her body and possibly controlling her nerve endings. He watched in slight curiosity as her breathing evened out and her eyes shut in restless slumber. Magic was incredible.

Yoruichi pulled out another liquid before propping her up so she was half-sitting and tipping the concoction into her mouth, rubbing her throat to help it go down. "_Why does everything have to happen to her?"_she thought ruefully.

The tense way her body held itself disappeared as she subconsciously relaxed. Byakuya sent the elders away with a look as Lily came forth with the third mixture, pouring it carefully into her adopted daughter's throat. Draco stood nearby with the rock-formed antidote as they watched her.

The group felt relief flood their chests as, rather than blood rushing out of her face, Liana instead stirred as her eyes fluttered open.

"Thank goodness." Ichigo was pretty sure he wouldn't be used to Byakuya's softer side for quite a while. "Are you alright, Liana?"

She shied away from him, hunching her back defensively as an old defense mechanism took over. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, not daring to look up. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I didn't mean to be a burden… I didn't mean to be a fr-freak…"

Byakuya frowned. While the potions had taken care of her panic attack-induced torture (which was bad enough on its own), it hadn't done anything for her mental relapse. He was definitely going to have a word with the elders later on.

"You are not a freak, Liana," he said, stern but soft at the same time. "You are not a burden either. Do not refer to yourself as such."

"But I am," she insisted. "I'm a freak and a burden and I don't deserve to exist! I'm a good-for-nothing child that was shoved onto my kind, hard-working relatives who don't deserve to be saddled with a _freak_like me!" Tears were openly streaming down her face as she continued blabbering. "I'm nothing but bad luck. It's my fault Cedric died and Voldemort came back. It's my fault Sirius nearly died and everyone was hurt! It would be better for everyone if I just died and stopped burdening everyone."

He sighed. "Why must you always blame yourself for things that were beyond your control? You are not to blame for those things, child. Diggory chose to go with you, it was his choice. Riddle had been laying contingency plans for his rebirth since long before you were even born."

"I went to the Department of Mysteries because I wanted to, pup," Sirius added. "What kind of dogfather would I be if I didn't? And your friends went because they wanted to too."

"Honestly, child, you sound half your age with the way you speak of things being better." Throwing caution to the wind and figuring he could threaten Kurosaki into silence later on, he gathered his daughter into his arms and murmured gently into her ear. "I have told you already, Liana. I have already lost my mother and wife, and I nearly lost my sister. I do not want to lose my daughter as well."

"But I'm a freak," she mumbled into his kosode, the black cloth muffling what little sound there had been to begin with.

"You are the heir apparent of the Kuchiki and Potter families and the heir presumptive of the Black family. You represent the union of the nobility and the commoners in more than one way, and you are the bond through which wizards and shinigami grow closer. You are the Girl-Who-Lived and the Chosen One. You are many things, child, but a freak isn't one of them."

"Not freak?" she wondered aloud in such a vacant way it made him wonder if somehow the potions had made her delirious.

"No, you are not a freak." He smoothed back her hair. Ichigo was sure he had fallen into an alternate universe as he then said in a mockingly stern tone, "It is unbecoming for the princess of the Kuchiki Clan to degrade herself so. You will cease referring to yourself as a freak or any other derogatory term. Do you understand, Liana?" Gray eyes glinted in good humor, completely ruining the effect.

She gave a tired but impish smile as her eyes regained their sparkle. "Yes, Father."

"Excellent."

He turned to the Kurosaki men. "You are free to go back to the World of the Living if you like. Rukia, do you have the time to help Liana and Malfoy-san in their studies?"

"Hai, Nii-sama," she said promptly as Yoruichi rolled her eyes.

"You are the only person I know who would put his daughter to work right after she suffered a mental relapse and a bout of torture," she snorted.

**The**** Seireitei**

"'Very long'?" she repeated in disbelief. "We've been doing nothing but reading since breakfast! Can't we do something else?"

She heard a chuckle from behind her. "So you hate it too?" She turned around to see her aunt smirking at her.

"Yeah." She rubbed the back of her neck. "It's so dry."

"Don't worry about it." She sat down next to them, giving Draco a friendly smile. "It took me a while to finish reading one of those things. I think Nii-sama just wants to make sure you don't get into any trouble."

"With my record, I don't think it's very likely," she joked. "Trouble follows me around like a magnet."

Her aunt gave an amused smile. "So I've heard. Had it been anyone but Nii-sama, your parents probably would have been pulling their hair out in worry."

"I don't think that would happen," she commented. "Father's hair is always so perfect. He'd never abuse it."

"True," she agreed. "So, your name is Draco, correct? As in the Latin form of the word 'Dragon'?"

"Yes." He nodded, a bit puzzled. Why ask the etymology of his name?

She grinned. "One of the squad captains has an ice dragon for his zanpakuto. Rangiku-san routinely provokes him into using it around this time of day. How would you two like to go see? That is, if Nii-sama agrees."

"I don't think Father would mind too much," Liana said, an excited glint in her eye. "Can we go now?"

Rukia laughed. "Sure! Just follow me." With a grin and a wink, she led them through the maze of white, eventually ending up in front of a building with the kanji for 10 painted on it.

She put a finger to her lips before gesturing to the window they had stopped under. Liana wasted no time in peeking through it, Draco hesitating but following soon after.

"Matsumoto! What are you doing!" scowled the white haired boy who had managed to hold his own – _alone_ – in a snowball fight against them and several others last Christmas. "Didn't I tell you to get the paperwork done?"

"But taicho, I'm doing my nails," the well-endowed woman whined. "I'll do it later."

He twitched. "It was supposed to be done _three days ago_," he growled. "If you take any longer, the sotaicho will scold _me_for it! Hurry up and do it!"

"Grouchy taicho," she grumbled, rolling her eyes. "You're so irritated today." A smirk spread across her face as she said teasingly. "Didn't you have your nap today, taicho?"

Another twitch.

A small, pale hand reached up for a light blue hilt. "Soten ni zase." His voice had gone frighteningly soft. "Hyorinmaru!"

The woman shrieked as an ice dragon screeched and wrapped around her before using its momentum to drag her to a desk that was overflowing with papers. The child looked pleased with himself as he sheathed his zanpakuto. "Now you _have _to do your work," he said smugly.

The woman sneezed before glaring at him. "You're so mean, taicho!"

"Yes, well, you're the one who told me to become a shinigami in the first place," he smirked.

Rukia rolled her eyes before ushering the witch and wizard into the building. "Rangiku-san?" she called through the door. "Can we come in?"

The door opened, revealing the diminutive captain. "Do you need something, Kuchiki?" he asked before raising an eyebrow at Liana and Draco. "And why are they here? I thought Kuchiki-taicho wanted to keep them away from the public."

"Liana-san had gotten bored of the books Nii-sama gave them, so I thought I'd bring them here to spend time with Rangiku-san," the violet eyed girl said, lying flawlessly.

"You'll have to wait," he said dryly. "Matsumoto still has a bunch of work to do, as you can see." He gestured to where his lieutenant was sneezing while piles of paperwork toppled off of her desk.

"Well, maybe you can help, Hitsugaya-taicho," she said innocently. "I already told them about Hyorinmaru. They, especially Draco-san, seem really interested in it. Besides, it looks like you're already done with your work."

**The**** Seireitei**

"Let's go exploring," she then suggested, brushing a few twigs out of her hair.

Her fiancé raised an eyebrow. "'Exploring'? Liana, I'm seventeen and you're sixteen. We're too old to go exploring."

"Please?" She clasped her hands together and widened her eyes, trying to look as pitiful as possible and using the same trick that had gotten her way with her potions master for the past several years. "We need to find our way around here eventually, and maybe we'll find something cool!"

"_Perhaps the two of you will come across something of interest."_

Draco scowled but consented anyway, letting his curiosity get the better of him. "Fine. But you'd better hope we don't get in trouble for this."

"Mmhmm," Liana nodded distractedly, already picking rooms to look through on her map. He sighed, wondering why his fiancée was so childish at times. "C'mon!"

Still, he cared for her, and found that quirk to be amusing. He chuckled lowly as he followed her, enjoying the sight of curiosity brightening her eyes as she led him into the manor proper, nose hidden behind the piece of parchment she had open in front of her.

She peeked into a doorway, seeing the traditional Japanese room contrast greatly with the surround sound stereo station and box of strange, shiny disks.

"What _is_all this madness?" Draco gaped, staring at the technology that surrounded them.

"Machines that muggles use to play music," Liana replied. "I wonder what they're doing here. Aside from the cellphone, I don't think I've ever seen Father favor modern technology."

"These are for _music_?" he asked, eying one of the speakers skeptically. "How?"

She picked up a disk labeled 'River of the Night Sky'. "Um… I was never allowed to use it, but I saw Dudley do it a few times. Let's see…" She inspected the buttons on the black box before pressing the one labeled 'OPEN'. Draco stared as a thin square popped out by the button. Liana grinned and placed the disk on it before pushing it back in. She regarded the machine for a second before pushing the PLAY button.

Draco jumped as a calm piano melody flowed out of the box he had been prodding, followed by a singing voice.

"_Kanashimi no iro ooshiete iru you na." "As though teaching me the color of sadness."_

"Father?" Liana mumbled, brows furrowed in concentration.

"_Shizuka na yozora ni." "In the peaceful night sky."_

"_Kizukanu to shitara," "If you don't understand,"_

"_Kizukasete hoshii" "I want to make you understand"_

"_Shirubeki subete o" "Everything that you ought to know."_

"_Tooku ni mieru nuguenu namida." "From far away I can see your unwiped tears."_

"_Mamorrikirenai kotoba ga hibiku." "The words I can't hold on to are ringing out."_

"_Sekai ga owaru nara," "If the world should end,"_

"_Sono toki ni wa wakaru darou ka" "Surely in that moment you'd understand."_

"_Kotae o shiranu mama hitotsu mune o tojita." "That without knowing the answer, my solitary heart is closed."_

"_Kanashimi no oto ga kikoenai you na," "The hectic world goes on,"_

"_Sewashii sekai ga." "As though the sound of sadness can't be heard."_

"_Mukiau koto o toozakeru nara," "If meeting face to face is still a distant thought,"_

"_Sukoshi kobameru odayaka ni hibi." "Then I'll reject just a little this peaceful daily life."_

"_Subete o tsuranuite," "Penetrating through everything,"_

"_Tsuyoku arou kokoro midasazu," "A heart with strong resolve won't be swayed,"_

"_Saigo no negai sae kanaerarenu yoru ni." "Even on a night when a last wish can't be granted."_

"_Yozora ni azukete wa," "Relying on the night sky,"_

"_Tojita mama no kokoro no kawa wa" "The river my my closed heart"_

"_Dare ni mo shirarezuni shizuku ni kaga yaite" "Silently shimmered without anyone knowing."_

"_Sekai ga owaru nara," "If the world should end,"_

"_Sono toki ni wa ieru darou ka." "In that moment, surely, I'd be able to say it."_

"_Afureru omoide o nazoru you ni tsugeyou" "Like tracing the overflowing memories, I'll tell you that"_

"_Hitomi ga kasanatte hitotsu mune ni saita." "Reflected in your eyes was the bloom of a solitary heart."_

The song was a sad one that spoke of an irreparable regret and destruction, yet still had a sense of elegance to it. However, despite its beauty, Liana couldn't quite understand why her father would _sing_, of all things."

"He's a good singer," Draco admitted. "But why so much fuss for one song?"

"There's more than on, Draco," she pointed out, lifting the box of CDs as emphasis. She picked one out and read its name. "Memories in the Rain. Sounds interesting." She put it into the system and let the music flow.

This one was an excited tune with lots of energy, the kind of which shocked the conservative teen.

"_Ame_," called out a voice they had met only the day before. "_Mae no hi mo ame de," "Rain. Yesterday was rainy too,"_

"_Sono mae mo ame de." "And so was the day before that."_

"_SLOW MOTION ai wa totsuzen ni," "Slow motion, love was suddenly,"_

"_Ore no mae de kowarete." "Broken in front of me."_

"_Hitotsu dake,"_Liana blinked as she heard her aunt singing, "_tada hitotsu dake," "Because of one thing. Only one thing,"_

"_Mamorenakatta kara." "I couldn't protect."_

"_Tatakai wa mada tsuzuku," "The battle still continues,"_

"_Hokori no tame ni." "For the sake of Pride."_

"_NO TIME TO CRY."_

"_Naku no wa ato da." "Crying is for later."_

"_Roku gatsu no ame ni mata chikau dake." "I just swear on the rain of June again."_

"_Kedu atatakana ame wa," "But the warm rain,"_

"_Ore no hoho wo nurasu." "Wets my cheeks."_

"_SLOW MOTION atsui suzushisa de," "Slow motion, with burning coolness,"_

"_Ore no tsuyoku michibiku." "It leads me strongly."_

"'_Omoide' nante namanurui mono dewanai kara," "Because such things as 'memories' are not tepid things,"_

"_Wakaranakutemo, ima wa hashiru shika nai." "Even though I don't understand, right now I have no choice but to run."_

"_NO TIME TO CRY."_

"_Tsuyoku naru dake." "Will just get strong."_

"_Roku gatsu no ame wa tada inochigake." "The rain of June only determines life and death."_

"_NO TIME TO CRY."_

"_Tsuyoku naru dake." "Will just get strong."_

"_Roku gatsu no ame wa tada inochigake." "The rain of June only determines life and death."_

Draco blinked as the song faded away. "Well," he said. "That was interesting. I wonder what it all meant."

Liana frowned, running the words through her head. "Something about rain and June being… I dunno… depressing? But not having enough time to do anything about it, or something."

"I suppose," he shrugged. "Muggles come up with the strangest things, though I admit they _could_be useful."

She grinned. "Good to see you're finally getting out of your prejudice, Draco."

He grunted noncommittally. "So what else is in there?"

"Um… Listen to One Story," she picked out another CD before replacing the previous disk with it.

"_Kikoete kikoete nariyamanu no nara" _For the second time, her aunt's voice flowed out of the speakers. "_Listen, listen if you can"_

_shinjite susunde kokoro no sakebi wo/believe in what you heart tells you_

_namida no omosa de kuzuresou ni nattemo/in the weighty tears that break you_

_mou ichido mou ichido kao o agete/let me see your face one last time, one last time_

She became slightly more attentive as her father's voice joined his sister's, singing in a fast rhythm.

_sekai ni senaka o muketa toshite mo/even if you have the world on your shoulders_

_jibun ni tsujinu uso ni kurushimu/even if you tend to believe lies_

_ware-ware wa namida o nagasu bekidawa nai/we should not shed tears_

_sore wa kokoro ni taisuru nikutai no haiboku de ari/that is a surrender of the body to the heart_

_ware-ware ga kokoro to iu mono wo/it is only proof_

_moteamasu sonzai de aru to iu koto no/that we are beings that do not know_

_shoumei ni hokanaranai kara da/what to do with our hearts_

_kikoete kikoete nariyamanu no nara/listen, listen if you can_

_kokoro wo/to your heart_

_shinjite susunde kokoro no sakebi wo/believe in what your heart tells you_

_sorasazu/turn away_

_namida no omosa de kuzuresou ni nattemo/in the weighty tears that break you_

_misuero/gaze up_

_mou ichido mou ichido /one more time, one more time_

_mou ichido /one more time_

_kao o agete/let me see your face_

_kesenai itami wa kakuseru keredo/even if your old pains come to haunt you_

_kanjiru soko ni aru kioku to tomo ni/your emotions are the best thing to follow_

_ware-ware wa namida o nagasu bekidawa nai/we should not shed tears_

_sore wa kokoro ni taisuru nikutai no haiboku de ari/that is a surrender of the body to the heart_

_ware-ware ga kokoro to iu mono wo/it is only proof_

_moteamasu sonzai de aru to iu koto no/that we are beings that do not know_

_shoumei ni hokanaranai kara da/what to do with our hearts_

_hikatte hikatte mabushisugiru kara/shine, shine if you can_

_kokoro wo/in your heart_

_terashite mezashite kokoro no ari ka wo/keep shining, keep looking_

_yurasazu/continue moving_

_namida o moyashite chikara ni kaetara/replace those tears with that burning power_

_miwatase/look around_

_mou ichido mou ichido /one more time, one more time_

_mou ichido /one more time_

_kao o agete/let me see your face_

_tatoeba ikuse no kanashimi ni deai/just go, even if you encounter sadness_

_uketome/to take the pain_

_karamaru omoi o furi hodoite yuki/even when you become entwined in your thoughts, the falling rain will untangle you_

_kakaezu/keep carrying the burden_

_namida no omosa de tomarisou ni nattemo/in the weighty tears that hold you down_

_hitotsu no /there is only one_

_hitotsu no kokoro o /there is only one heart for you to believe in_

_kokoro o /for you to believe in_

_kikoete kikoete nariyamanu no nara/listen, listen if you can_

_kokoro wo/to your heart_

_shinjite susunde kokoro no sakebi wo/believe in what your heart tells you_

_sorasazu/turn away_

_namida no omosa de kuzuresou ni nattemo/in the weighty tears that break you_

_misuero/gaze up_

_mou ichido mou ichido /one more time, one more time_

_mou ichido /one more time_

_kao o agete/let me see your face_

Neither of them had noticed the door open in the middle of the song, nor did they notice their observer until the last chord had faded.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Liana startled as her eyes jumped to the sneering old man. He hobbled forward, squinting through his thick, circular glasses as he pointed a gnarled finger at them. "I knew you were no good; just another foolish girl our lord decided to bring into our family," he spat. "We've tried to convince him not to, to disown the sluts he takes in, but no! Hopefully, it'll work out this time, especially now that I've caught you red-handed. After all," a loathsome grin unfurled across his face, "third time's the charm. At the very least , he will punish you brats for what you've done – entering parts of the estate you're not allowed in and playing with the things inside. Perhaps he might even give you the thrashing you so richly deserve!" This man was starting to remind him of Filch. "Really, what naughty, naughty children. Of course, I should have expected it. Children are always so disrespectful to their betters… Well? What are you waiting for! Come along, you ungrateful girl! And you too!" He reached out and snagged the two of them by the arm and dragged them out of the room. Draco started protesting immediately upon the contact, whereas Liana had been lost the minute he said 'thrashing'.

"Let go! _Let go! _Unhand me, you-" The blond's angry shouting was truncated as he noticed his friend's lack of response to their situation, simply stumbling along wherever the elderly man pulled her. "Liana? What's wrong?" His displeasure was forgotten and replaced with concern as he watched her. She didn't seem to be aware of what was happening. "Liana?"

"Hurry up, hurry up!" the man snapped. "I'm not as young as I used to be."

"I never would have guessed," the blond muttered before pushing his anger away, if only for his fiancée. The older man herded them through what must have been at least half of the manor before dropping their arms. Draco rubbed his wrist to the get circulation back before turning to Liana, who was staring blankly into the distance.

He heard voices from a nearby room as he busied himself with trying to get a reaction out of her.

"Byakuya-sama, I _insist_you do something about those children!" the older man demanded.

There was pause and the sound of a brush being put down. The Kuchiki's voice was as calm as ever as he spoke. "What could Liana and Draco-san have possibly done to get you so upset, Sakaki-dono?"

"They were in the room with that sound-making contraption, the one in the East Wing of the manor! They were in an area that they are forbidden from entering?"

"'Forbidden'? I do not recall forbidding them from going anywhere but outside the manor walls," he replied. "What made you assume they were?"

He heard a hint of embarrassment in the stammered reply as he gently shook Liana's shoulder. "The servants only ever go in to clean, and your… _sister_," the word was said with a sneer as he reclaimed some of his snarkiness, "is only allowed in under certain conditions."

"The two of them will be the heads of this family one day. The reason Rukia is not allowed in there is because she used it constantly to listen to music from the World of the Living. So long as they do not abuse their privileges, I see no reason to restrict them." At the word abuse, Liana whimpered softly and dug her fingernails into her face, causing Draco to increase his efforts.

"But Byakuya-sa-"

"Do you happen to know what has my daughter so upset?" His voice was suddenly cold as footsteps sounded.

"I – ah – do have _some _idea, but-" He stopped speaking as the door slid open.

Byakuya sighed inaudibly as he knelt next to his daughter. "This is the second day in a row you have caused such a reaction in my daughter, Sakaki-dono. Perhaps it would be best if I stay with her in the Wizarding World until she recovers," he remarked, gently attempting to pry her hands from her face.

"But, Byakuya-sama, you have already been gone for so long!" he protested.

"And I will be gone longer if you continue to antagonize your princess," he said coldly. "For the time being, I'm sure you have many pressing matters to attend to."

He recognized the dismissal and grudgingly bowed. "Of course, Byakuya-sama."

His tone softened considerably as he spoke to his daughter. "Liana. Liana, calm down, child. You are safe. No one will harm you here. Listen to me, child, there is nothing to fear. Come back to us, Liana."

Unfortunately, her only response was to burrow her head deeper into her arms.

"Shouldn't she be getting better?" Draco asked. "It seems like she's been either staying the same or getting worse."

"Physical mistreatment, coupled with verbal abuse and neglect, is a very damaging force on anyone," he frowned, picking her up whilst trying to keep her from panicking. He shifted her onto one arm and put his free hand on the blond's shoulder, keeping a firm grip. "Unohana-taicho would probably be able to help."

Draco decided that shunpo would take a while to get used to as he suddenly found himself in a completely different building.

His concern grew as he noticed Liana's breathing grow erratic in response to the trip, whimpering and squirming in her father's arms.

"No… please, Uncle, please!… Let go, please, Uncle! Please!" Her struggles increased as he only tightened his grip on her, trying to keep the young witch from falling to the floor.

"Liana, listen to me. Vernon Dursley is nowhere near you. Listen to me, child. Liana!" She didn't seem to hear him, or at least believe him. Byakuya, for all of his training, was caught off-guard when her thrashing escalated to the point where, with a force brought to her by fear and panic, she managed to kick and fight his arms away, leaving her to tumble onto the polished wooden floor.

Dazed by her sudden strength, he was unable to react as she stumbled to her feet. Draco reached out, as if to stop her, but she staggered away before running clumsily and… vanishing?

"Liana!" the blond shouted in alarm. The Kuchiki lord cursed, worry immediately encompassing the majority of his mind. The portion that was left alone started analyzing the strange occurrence, trying to understand what happened, as had been drilled into him since the day he was born.

"What has gotten into that girl?" Instead of being laced with annoyance, as the statement would have been had it been a mere decade prior, it was worry and a hint of confusion that colored his words.

"Kuchiki-taicho?" He turned to see his fourth division counterpart standing in the doorway, looking surprised and concerned with his presence and uncharacteristic behavior. "And Malfoy-san as well? Is something wrong? Where's Liana-san?"

The corners of his mouth curved downwards in a distinct frown. "Sakaki-dono managed to startle her enough to get her to fall into a relapse. We brought her hear in hopes you may be able to help. Unfortunately, her panic grew to uncontrollable levels and she… disappeared, for lack of better word."

"Oh my, that's very worrisome." The gentle woman's perfect visage was marred as her eyebrows crinkled together. "Do you have any idea what could have happened? And how did she 'disappear'?"

"That man, Sakaki, he dragged us practically through the entire manor," Draco said, giving his input on the strange events. "Liana, I – I noticed she was getting pulled into her memories on the way there, but I couldn't get her to snap out of it. Besides that, it's just… weird. I don't know how she did it, but the only time she ever… _ran_was that time at the Welcoming Feast. And, on top of that, it's the second day in a row she's freaked out."

"She left using some kind of fusion of shunpo and Apparation," the rokubantai taicho murmured. "Most of the reiatsu released was that of a wizard Disapparating. However, instead of spinning, she used the first steps of shunpo to conduct it. Normally, this wouldn't be possible, but, considering her fright, it is possible Accidental Magic helped to merge them together seamlessly."

Unohana nodded in consideration, correctly inferring the meanings of the foreign magical terms.

"Malfoy-san is correct, though. When Yoruichi and I first retrieved her, it was more common for her to lose control over the Diggory's boy's death rather than her treatment at the hands of her relatives. Recently, she has been losing control of herself far more easily and for more violently. Do you have any idea why?"

She sighed as he confirmed her suspicions. "Yes, I do. I also think I know where she is. This way, please, Kuchiki-taicho, Draco-san."

The gray eyed captain didn't hesitate to follow, the Malfoy heir following close behind. The motherly woman started explaining as she led them through the halls of her barracks.

"I've only seen several times before, mostly from those who suffered from abuse or torture and died in the midst of it," she said softly. "It only happens under certain circumstances, but I've found that in some cases, victims of abuse suffer from a variation of Multiple Personality Disorder."

"What?" Was that supposed to make sense to him?

"Think about it this way – a child is beaten and belittled behind closed doors, often called by a specific name or term that eventually becomes their identity in such a situation," she said, slowing her pace so as to explain more thoroughly. "When outside of those doors, whether physical or psychological, they are praised constantly, and in a way pressured to do as those praising them think best. The child will eventually become the person they want, save a few minor differences, and buries the derogatory being they were deep inside, only to surface when back in the hostile environment. However, that will not destroy their other self; they will always be there, ready to take over when most vulnerable."

"She has hardly been at her most vulnerable," he frowned. "So why is she regressing?"

"What would happen if the child were to understand that the people who mistreated them were unable to come into contact with them ever again?" she asked rhetorically. "They would become confused, and _that_is the most vulnerable a man could ever be. In confusion, which way is up? Down? What's right? Wrong? How do they know the people who praise them won't turn on them? How do they know they won't be rejected from the only haven they have ever known happiness in? They're afraid, even if they don't realize it, their subconsciousness is always preoccupied with it. As time goes on, they start worrying more and more, and as a result, they fall to their urges that much more often."

"Is there anything that can be done?" he demanded, somewhat overwhelmed with the idea of that happening to his only child.

"The humans have developed a medicine to help suppress the separate personality, however I don't think that would be a good idea in this case. What I have seen, though, is that if they have a confidant who can soothe them and understand what they're going through, it tends to make the difference in the healing process," she said cautiously.

The noble's eyes closed as he realized what she was referring to. "Yoruichi."

Draco frowned. "Why do I feel like there's something else involved?"

"I'm afraid you're right, Malfoy-san," Unohana sighed. "Please think about what I've told you and about how similar their lives were up until just recently. Yoruichi-san seems to have the exact same condition as Liana-san, but the difference is, while Liana-san has relied heavily upon Yoruichi-san for these things in the past, the one whom Yoruichi-san relied on, Kuchiki Sojun, is no longer with us. As it is, I believe it would shatter Yoruichi-san's psyche to try to help Liana-san through this whilst struggling through the same thing herself."

"So you're saying that there's nothing we can do," Draco surmised, frowning. They had to do something, dammit!

"I am not saying that there is no chance of her recovering from this, Malfoy-san," Unohana said, smiling in irritation. The blond felt a chill go down his spine as he nodded nervously. "There are psychiatric treatments to help her through this, but Yoruichi-san's support would help the process go along faster. However, I'm sure she trusts you two and know how much you care for her. That should make up for it, at least a bit."

**Sun****, Sand, and Screaming**

"Rukia, though…" The petite girl seemed to be in a trance-like state, staring at something the others couldn't see and enraptured by whatever it was she was watching.

"What's with her?" Sirius asked in bemusement.

Byakuya followed her gaze, trying to ascertain who or what had caught her attention. Within a few seconds, he realized what she had seen. "Ah."

A grin spread across the purple haired woman's face as she pulled a plethora of colorful papers out of her bag, handing some of them to Liana and Sirius. "Help me pass these out," she muttered.

"What?" The blond teen looked at her as if she was crazy while Liana scanned the topmost flier.

_**'DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS DRAMATIC YET TOUCHING SCENE?**_

_**DISCOVER THE STORY BEHIND THE MYSTERY!**_

_**PLEASE LOOK UP "HEAVEN'S PEOPLE AND GOD'S KNIGHTS" ON YOUR LOCAL SOURCE OF INTERNET.**_

_**NO, THIS IS NOT A JOKE.**_

_**NO, THIS WAS NOT PLANNED. THIS FLIER WAS MADE ON A HUNCH.**_

_**REPEAT: THIS IS NOT A JOKE. PLEASE DO AS WE ASK. WHY WOULD WE MAKE 300+ FLIERS JUST FOR A JOKE?'**_

"That's… very typical of you, Yoruichi," Liana said awkwardly.

She grinned in response, gently nudging Rukia. That seemed to be all the encouragement she needed as she started running, uncaring of the squawking tourists she pushed out of her way.

"_RENJI!"_

The crimson haired man turned in her direction, startled. "Rukia?"

Liana lost track of the conversation after that, as her aunt was babbling in Japanese too quickly for her to comprehend. Yoruichi motioned for her and Draco to start passing out the fliers to the congregating crowd while started to do so herself.

Byakuya calmly walked forward, inwardly smiling at his sister's excitement and the bemusement on his lieutenant's face. "English, Rukia," he chided softly. "You need to improve on it if we are to stay here for an extended amount of time."

She flushed, the happy glow still visible in her eyes. "Yes, Brother."

"Kuchiki-taicho." The tan man gave a short bow to his superior. "It's good to see you're alright, sir. The men were worried when they heard you stayed after…"

His eyebrow arched as he took in the comment. "Who do you think you're speaking to, _lieutenant_?" he asked, purposely stressing the English title. Ignoring the other man's fumbles for an adequate response, he added, "In any case,

**Sun, Sand, and Screaming**

"Do you remember the press conference we had in Gringotts after the battle in the Department of Mysteries?" the Kuchiki lord asked. It was ten-thirty in the morning, just about an hour since breakfast, and he was taking a walk through the garden with his daughter.

Liana blinked. "Uhm... yeah." Her father had twisted the Minister's words and told the reporters a story to avoid talking about the shinigami.

"I have contacted officials in the U.S. government, acting as the head of a powerful corporation that is located on one of Japan's islands who was recently attacked by the Chinese armies," he said, somewhat bluntly. "There will be need to attend more of them in the near future."

"What? But what about summer?" she pouted.

He gave her an amused glance. "There will be plenty of time for you to enjoy your holiday, Liana. However, there are some things that must be done in preparation for the press."

"Like what?" She looked curious and mildly excited. With help from Ginny and Hermione, she had recently begun enjoying life as a young girl her age should – that is to say, trying on clothes and experimenting with her appearance.

"You were born into a privileged family, both as a Kuchiki and as a Potter. Even beyond that, you are the Girl-Who-Lived, an emblem of peace and hope to the Wizarding World. You are the Chosen One, and the Child of Prophecy. However, despite who you _are_, child, the way you conduct yourself reflects an uncertainty and self doubt that is normally of those who lesser than what you are and could be." His eyes bore into hers, and Liana could feel her face flush at his words. So even now, after having found her true family – and even a fiancé! – she was doing something wrong.

Her father sighed and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, silently lamenting her lack of confidence. "Do not despair, child. We _can_change that. It is simply a matter of time and training."

Her nose wrinkled at the idea, her earlier pessimistic thoughts fleeing from her mind. She had heard numerous stories about such training from both Yoruichi and Draco. They had both described them to be long, boring, and sometimes painful, and not like something she wanted to go through.

"Is that really necessary?" she asked, a pleading look on her face.

Byakuya couldn't help but be slightly amused by this. "It is simply a means to an end, Liana. It won't last forever."

She deflated. "Yes, Father."

Liana started her training immediately after breakfast the next day under the all-seeing watch of her father. Though, to be totally honest, she didn't understand why she had to go around the entrance hall with a dictionary on her head.

"Why do I have to do this?" she asked for what had to be the millionth time.

"How many times have I repeated myself now?" Her father asked rhetorically, but answered anyway. "This is to improve your posture."

"But how am I supposed to do that if it keeps falling?" she pouted, reaching up to catch the tome before it hit the floor.

"By not slouching." He placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling it back while holding her head in place so as not to disturb the dictionary.

"I can't help it," she whined. "If I don't I feel... vulnerable."

He raised an eyebrow. "You are the best Defense student in all of Hogwarts, Liana. There is absolutely no reason for you to feel vulnerable. In any case, slouching posture will only aid you against physical attacks, and no wizard will be foolish enough to attack their savior, and certainly not by muggle means." He knew that what he was saying had nothing to do with feeling vulnerable, but he wanted his daughter to have an incentive to grow past the abused shell of a child she was. He didn't want his child to have her past looming over her forever.

The emerald eyed girl shifted uncomfortably. "I know, but..." she trailed off, unable to put her thoughts into words.

He sighed and watched his only child as she bit her lip. "Do you want to know what I believe, Child?"

She looked up at him quizzically, but nodded, catching the book as it fell off balance and into her hands.

"I believe there are multiple men or women within a person. The deepest one is usually the same among all of us - an innocent child who is cherished by his or her parents. You, my child, moved onto the next stage earlier than most. At a mere eighteen months, your identity as the Dursleys' scapegoat was created." He spat the name out bitterly, not forgiving them for their abominable treatment of his daughter.

Liana winced at the mention of her early childhood, having come to terms with it, but still not liking to be reminded of it. Those were possibly the darkest years of her life.

"That child was locked away when you entered the Wizarding World. On your eleventh birthday, you became the Girl-Who-Lived, the Wizarding World's savior. You were Gryffindor's Golden Girl, the perfect, hero. Another child was born, one that lasted for almost five years."

"When Yoruichi and I found you in the summer before your fifth year, you partially merged with another being. The majority of you was the witch the Wizarding World expected. Another part was the part of the little girl you once were, the young child who so desperately wanted her parents' love and affection." He rested a hand on her head and looked intently into her eyes.

"No world is made of black and white, Liana. It may seem that way to a child, like the only thing that matters is right and wrong, but the world is so much more complex than that. From the moment you were born, you became a member of the hierarchy and games that is aristocracy. It lessened when you were adopted by the Potters, an old family who didn't bother with the workings of powerful families, and disappeared from your life when you went to the Dursleys. However, it never disappeared completely. You are the sole heir of both myself and the Potters. The moment you are of age, you will be shoved into the politics of the Wizarding World, and the Clan Elders will push you into the politics of the Soul Society."

_"... Given the seats the Houses of Potter and Black have in the Wizengamot, she will be thrown into the political worlds as well, where she will be used and eaten alive."_

"But that isn't fair," she cried. "I never asked for this! Why do I have to?"

"Life isn't fair, child," he said soothingly, "and there is nothing we can do about it. What we can do is try to make the best of the circumstances it puts us in."

"But why politics?" she whined. "Everything I know about them sounds horrible."

He sighed. "Whether you know it or not, you have been in the Wizarding World's politics since the day Riddle attacked the Potters. Believe me when I say there have been men and women watching you, trying to manipulate you and get your favor. It is already a part of your life, Liana, but now it is wild and uncontrolled, like Accidental Magic. You need to learn to control it before it harms you."

"But it _isn't_like Accidental Magic," Liana insisted. "It isn't! There's nothing that can possibly link together politics and magic."

"I suppose that, had you been raised as you should have been, you would understand it better," he muttered, "but you must know, Liana, that all things are manipulated in some way. The water is manipulated by the moon. The wind is manipulated by the sun. The land is manipulated by the sea. Man is manipulated by fellow man." His gaze turned sharp, eyes burning into her in a way she had only ever known her potions professor and former headmaster to be capable of. "The question is, which one are you? The lifeless doll or the puppet master?"

"I don't want to do that to people," she argued weakly. "I don't want them to go through what I did." Thoughts of her first four years of Hogwarts came back to her. Years filled with danger after danger, all for the sake of an old man with visions of grandeur. She shuddered at memory of when Yoruichi had put all the evidence of his guilt in front of her and explained his plans to her with all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.

"I am not saying you have to," he said gently, sensing her thoughts and cupping her cheek in his hand, "but I don't want for _you_to be controlled either. Like before, there will always be people who want the power gifted to those associated with the Girl-Who-Lived.

**Sun****, Sand, and Screaming**

She waited for a few moments for the curious vacationers to look away, their attention lost while something on the beach caught her younger counterpart's attention. She grinned and winked at the suddenly confused teens and gestured silently to where the normally calm man held himself rigidly, shocked as though he couldn't bring himself to breathe.

"What's with him?" Sirius asked in bemusement.

Yoruichi smiled and pointed to what – or rather, _whom_ – had captured his attention so completely. A petite, raven haired woman stumbled her way through the crowd of New Yorkers, trying to find a small strip of beach to claim for herself without tripping over one of the vacationers. Soft, byzantium eyes crinkled in concentration as she tried to blow her fringe out of her eyes without losing her balance and falling arse over kettle. Liana couldn't help but think that there was something… important about her, but wasn't very sure _what_.

A grin spread across the purple haired woman's face as she pulled a plethora of colorful papers out of her bag, handing some of them to Draco and Sirius. "Help me pass these out," she muttered.

"What?" The blond teen looked at her as if she was crazy while Liana scanned the topmost flier.

_**'DON'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THIS DRAMATIC YET TOUCHING SCENE?**_

_**DISCOVER THE STORY BEHIND THE MYSTERY!**_

_**PLEASE LOOK UP "HEAVEN'S PEOPLE AND GOD'S KNIGHTS" ON YOUR LOCAL SOURCE OF INTERNET.**_

_**NO, THIS IS NOT A JOKE.**_

_**NO, THIS WAS NOT PLANNED. THIS FLIER WAS MADE ON A HUNCH.**_

_**REPEAT: THIS IS NOT A JOKE. PLEASE DO AS WE ASK. WHY WOULD WE MAKE 300+ FLIERS JUST FOR A JOKE?'**_

The emerald eyed girl stared blankly. _What_did this have to do with anything? Yes, her father was acting a bit strangely – his eyes were still glued to the woman's small form, and he seemed incapable of noticing anything else at the moment – but it certainly wasn't as jolting as what the paper claimed it to be.

"That's… very typical of you, Yoruichi," Liana said awkwardly. It was just like her to make something like this for no reason.

She grinned in response, murmuring into her old playmate's ear, "What are you waiting for, Romeo?"

That seemed to have snapped him out of his daze… of course, Liana couldn't quite decide if this was better or worse. Suddenly, it was as if her father had never been the man she knew him as, as he was now running through the crowd, uncaring of the squawking tourists he pushed out of his way. His eyes only saw her, the pixie-like woman who was oddly oblivious to the mounting chaos as he frantically tried to reach her, hardly acting like the proud head of the Noble Kuchiki Clan that he had always been expected to be.

However, she was now in a daze herself. Right when he had passed her, no matter how quick it was, she had heard something. A whisper, like the breath of the wind gliding into her ear. He had said it, muttered it, so quietly she half-doubted she had even heard it at all. Hisana.

"_Hisana always said her family was known for having stunning eyes."_

"_That was her name then? Hisana?"_

"Hisana!" The crowd had reformed as onlookers watched the seemingly insane man streak his way through them, years of running across strange objects and twisted rubble allowing him to deftly bypass the humans strewn all over the sand.

She heard a sharp intake of breath as her aunt stared. "What?" she whispered. Hisana… that was… that was the name of her mother! Quickly, she followed her father – albeit, in a less attention drawing way – and picked her way through the crowd of bystanders as quickly as she dared.

"B-Byakuya-sama?" the woman – her _mother_ – stammered, barely able to get that much out before he was standing in front of her, the rare look of ecstasy set on his features. Liana barely noticed as phones were taken out, videotaping the scene, nor did she see as her mentor, godfather, and fiancé started quietly passing the fliers through the unrealized audience. All she could see was her parents – oh! How good it was to finally use those words! – as they reunited (albeit in an unconventional way) after decades of separation.

"Hisana…" A pale hand moved up to cup his wife's face. "My beautiful Hisana…" Gray eyes that were normally fiercely guarded softened, letting their owner's emotions show through, quiet elation shining in usually cold eyes.

"Byakuya-sama… how?" The woman's eyes burrowed in confusion and bewilderment, a testament to her own emotions. It had been fifty years… how and why was this happening now?

He smiled softly as he drank in her face for the first time in over a half-century. "I have found our daughter, Hisana," he whispered, his voice still somehow managing to reach the ears of the curious Americans, "and I have been looking for you since I found her, two years ago. I've found them both. Your sister and our daughter."

"B-both?" Her voice cracked in emotion as she stared at him in shocked relief. "Y-you found them b-both?"

"Yes, both." Liana watched in amazement as his lips curved in a soft smile. She had rarely seen her father smile, and certainly not lately. She had even been told that, just a few years ago, a smile on her father's face would have been perceived as a sign of the coming Apocalypse!

She felt someone nudge her shoulder and turned to see Yoruichi smiling at her. "Say something," she mouthed, pointing at them and winking.

The Gryffindor wasn't quite sure if she wanted to ruin the moment or speak up at all and stared at her uncertainly.

Golden eyes rolled upward before she whispered into her ear, "If we don't do something soon, they're never going to stop."

Furrowing her brow, she glanced over at her parents to see them sharing a slow kiss, eliciting wolf whistles from some of the crowd and making her stomach flip. Blushing, she decided to do as was suggested and said in a quiet, somewhat awkward way, "F-father?"

It was a bit strange how, out of all the mutters, giggles, and shouts of raucous laughter that they were surrounded by, it was her small, quiet voice that got his attention. The Kuchiki lord felt his mind return to him at the sound of his daughter's voice and reluctantly pulled away from his wife. Smiling gently, he looked to where the foreign party was watching. "Come here, Liana, Rukia."

He felt his wife's gasp as she looked at the two teenage girls. "Are they…?"

"Yes." Liana stared at her mother with a mix of awe and timidness as she slowly approached them. She seemed to be near tears, hands cupping her mouth while her wide, violet eyes watering suspiciously. "Rukia is your sister, Hisana, and Liana is our daughter."

Rukia bowed to her. "I'm very happy to finally meet you, Hisana-nee-sama," she beamed.

Liana was a bit less out going in her greeting. "H-hello, M-mother," she said softly, wondering if it was normal to feel so uncomfortable with the one who gave you life. Still, she managed to give a shy smile in spite of her discomfort.

"Please," the gentle woman said immediately, guilt shadowing her eyes as she twisted her hands nervously, "please, don't call me that. I-I don't deserve to be called Sister or Mother, not after…" She trailed off, her eyes flicking downwards.

Her husband made an exasperated noise at this. "Why must you all be so alike?" he muttered. "Hisana, you-"

"I'd hate to interrupt this family reunion, but shouldn't we be getting our lunch?" Yoruichi stepped forward before lowering her voice. "We need to get out of here before the Americans decide to approach us. Sirius is ready with a distraction – we need to run for it."

"W-what?" The (former?) Lady Kuchiki had an expression of utmost confusion on her face, staring at the strange woman oddly. She looked to her husband for an explanation as he gripped her hand tightly. A teenager with light blond hair and aristocratic features quickly strode forward, whispering into her daughter's ear and taking her hand. Her sister tensed slightly, watching the purple haired woman with a wary eye as she melted back into the crowd. "Byakuya-sama, what's going-"

She was cut off at the sound of violent retching. Their audience's attention was grabbed by a black haired man who was now displaying his breakfast for the entire beach to see. He moaned pitifully as those close enough caught a glimpse of glassy blue eyes and red liquid started leaking out of his nose.

"Puking Pastills, Nosebleed Nougats, _and _Fever Fudge?" she heard the blond mutter. "He almost ate the entire Snackbox – No, wait. Fainting Fancy. He _did_eat the entire Snackbox." She didn't have time to contemplate his strange comments as her husband started pulling her through the crowd and away from the obvious ill man, walking slowly enough to not be considered odd but fast enough to make a quick getaway.

Hisana didn't quite understand what was going on – it was all she could do to hold onto her overly large bag while she was pulled away from the mob of people. Glancing back, she saw the strange woman help the man up, hurrying him through the crowd and carefully sidestepping the vomit.

They eventually ended up at a quaint two story house with a wooden terrace running along all of its lower wall, made homey-looking by the white paint that covered the entire building.

**Trouble in Paradise**

"How many Avadas were there?" he heard Yoruichi murmur from where he knew the matching seat was placed. "Three? Four? I feel ready to sleep for a week."

"As pleasurable as that may be," he sighed, feeling the fabric dip to one side as his daughter sat down and handed him a cup of tea, "there is a reason I chose an American property to come to. 'The Land of the Free'. We need to get the attention of their press and government quickly. If we wait too long, they'll deem it inconsequential, especially considering China is a major trading partner."

"Is that why there's a guy taking pictures of us?" As if on cue, there was the click and flash of a camera. Liana scowled at the man.

"The proud leaders of two prominent groups, defeated and weary of recent events… as damaging as it is to one's pride, it will help to entice their pity." His voice took a darkly amused tone. "Americans are too sentimental for their own good."

"Bah. Do what you want. Do I have the same room as I did before?" Yoruichi queries as she used her fiancé's shoulder to pull herself to her feet.

"This is the first time I've been on this property, Yoruichi," he said dryly. "And please don't forget that you are one of its owners as well. Do as you like."

Byakuya watched silently as his daughter fell asleep, not reacting when the door opened and a familiar figure stepped inside.

"Grandfather."

"I came as soon as I heard what happened," the elderly man said softly, his quiet tone contrasting with his voice, rough from age. "How is she, Byakuya?"

"The nurses say she should be well enough to be discharged in a few days."

"Hm." A thoughtful silence fell between them, and the younger man continued watching his daughter as she peacefully slept.

"There's something bothering you." It was spoken as a statement, a fact, and the younger of the two Kuchikis sighed at his grandfather's ability to read his thoughts.

"I don't understand my purpose." It was said bluntly in a resigned tone.

"Your purpose?"

There was another uncomfortable silence before he spoke again. "Look at me, Sofu, I am young. I still have _centuries_to live, presuming I'm not killed sometime before. I can live to watch the humans discover another miracle and change their world yet again. I have so much time in front of me, but I don't know what to do with it."

"And why is that?"

He sighed. "My daughter will be a legal adult in the eyes of the Wizarding World in a matter of months. A year from now, she will be married and carry the titles of Mistress Malfoy, Lady Potter, and Lady Kuchiki. She has been the only thing to give me fulfillment in years, and soon…" he trailed off.

A grayish-white eyebrow quirked. "You're upset because she's growing up? You can't stop time, Byakuya."

"I know, Sofu, but it feels like time is moving so much faster than before… Rukia has been my reason for living ever since Hisana died, but the Kurosaki boy will soon graduate from university and I'm certain that they will marry soon after. Liana is another reason for me to live, but she is engaged to be married a mere year from now. My sister and my daughter will both be members of another household soon… After that, what is there for me to do?"

The older man frowned. "

**Unexpected Con****tacts**

"There's something bothering you." It was spoken as a statement, a fact, and the younger of the two Kuchikis sighed at his grandfather's ability to read his thoughts.

"I don't understand my purpose." It was said bluntly in a resigned tone.

"Your purpose?"

There was another uncomfortable silence before he spoke again. "Look at me, Sofu, I am young. Of the thirteen captains of the Gotei 13, I am the third youngest of my colleagues, and carry so much more on my shoulders."

"You've been aware that this would be your life since your father died, Byakuya." It was said gently, a flat statement meant to remind him of what he knew since childhood.

"Sofu, you don't understand. I was barely an adult when I married my wife – barely old enough to think for myself – and while I don't regret it, I was nearly a child and far too young for marriage!" There was deep emotion in his voice, heavy frustration with something the young witch was too drowsy to comprehend. "I spent a mere _five years_with her, before she left. _Five years._And only a year after that, I was forced from my mourning, named Head of the Kuchiki Clan, and promoted to captaincy before becoming responsible for the well being of a sister I did not know. I never knew how time passed so quickly; it was as if I was a bystander who watched as the world rushed around him, as if I had no control at all."

The older man didn't say anything in response. Anything he might have said would only agitate him further.

"I have aged barely half a decade since then – I am the equivalent of a twenty-three-year-old with a sixteen-year-old daughter who went through unspeakable terrors before the age of ten. The Elders want me to marry and have a son, and they deny the one part of my life who brings me fulfillment!" Liana frowned absently and rolled onto her side, snuggling into the pillow. There was a small pause before he continued, quieter than before. "My life has changed more times in the past three years than I care to count. Five years ago, I was determined to never make contact with the Wizarding World again. Now, I find myself immersed in them and their politics – for goodness' sake, I was receiving marriage proposals to Liana's _classmates_when their families discovered I was young and unmarried." There was a hint of disgust in his voice.

"You're ranting, Byakuya, and severely off topic. What does this have to do with your purpose?"

**Une****xpected Contacts**

Byakuya watched silently as his daughter fell asleep, not reacting when the door opened and a figure stepped inside.

"Will she be alright?" a quiet voice asked as the young man stepped closer to his sleeping fiancée.

"She will be discharged by morning," he replied. "Where are the others?"

"Sirius and Yoruichi went back to put stronger wards on the house and Rukia is looking for some food."

**Une****xpected Contacts**

It was the quiet murmurs of her father that teased her back to consciousness, several hours later.

"… is already overworked, Doctor, with all the injured rushing in from the beach shooting. I can easily arrange for private medical staff to come to my home and care for my daughter." His deep, baritone voice washed over her like water, soothing her mind against the sharp noises of the machines around her. "I'm sure there are many things you can be doing with a room when the patient in it can be treated elsewhere, especially considering how minor the injury was in the first place."

"Sir, that wound was nothing near minor!" an alarmed voice protested. "If the bullet had hit just a few inches lower, we'd be looking at a body right now-"

"_If_, Doctor, if. Believe me, I've seen wounds far worse than the one my daughter has sustained, and I know a fair amount of professionals who would be willing and able to tend to it. As it is, I can more than afford private medical treatment, and it would be an insult to my honor to not have her properly treated."

"Listen to him, seriously." Yoruichi was there too? "He's from a traditional family. Pride and honor is _very_important to him. I don't think it'd be a stretch to say he'd kill for it."

"I'm not saying they aren't, but she needs to stay put! Being moved around might be hazardous to the patient's health!"

**Extra!**

A small boy, who couldn't have been older than forty, yawned as he woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He smiled as he remembered what today was. Otou-san was supposed to be coming home today! He then frowned when he remembered how sad everyone had been in the past few days. He had heard them talking about Otou-san, but he had been ushered away by one of the maids before he could properly understand.

With the help of one of the servants, he dressed for the day before scampering into the hall and walking around quickly. He would run, but Jii-sama got very upset with him when he ran indoors, and he didn't like it very much when Jii-sama was angry with him. He would scold him for a while before sending him to his room until supper! He headed over to his parents' room, like he did every morning.

"Okaa-san? Okaa-san? Wake up! It's morning and Otou-san is coming home!" he said eagerly, sliding open the doors and hurrying inside.

"Okaa-san?" He looked around curiously, wondering where his mother had gone, before opening the door to one of the antechambers. He gasped and ran inside, all thoughts of his grandfather's fury gone from his mind.

There was his mother, lying on the floor with her mouth open and her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. There was a note of the floor beside her, but he didn't pay any attention to that. What he did pay attention to was the spear in her chest and the blood drying on her chest and the floor.

Everyone within the manor was soon running to the room when they heard him scream for his mother. Yoruichi, who had been there to discuss important captain issues with his grandfather, hugged him silently from behind, staring sadly at the body of one of her close friends.

"Please calm down, Bya-kun. I'm sorry but there's nothing you can do. Okaa-san is sleeping. No, she won't wake up again. She's gone to be with your Otou-san."


End file.
